TV Talk Shows: Vapid Then & Vapid Now

Over many years as a reporter and editor, I typically would have three televisions on or near my newsroom desk and two usually were turned to cable news channels and the innumerable political talk shows. These in addition to a couple of police scanners and a radio.

When I bailed from the business I stopped watching political talk shows (and no, I don't have a police scanner next to my bed), so it always comes as a shock -- as it did during viewing marathons on Election Night and the day after and Inauguration Day and the day after -- how excruciatingly vapid they were and still are.

And how some pretty good bloggers (John Amato at Crooks and Liars is a flagrant example) seem to have nothing better to do but constantly parse, criticize and go ballistic over every talk-show comment that does not fit his world view.

The proof of the pudding is that I learned nothing, whether it be fact or insight, on any of these shows during or after the inauguration that was consequential, and I can only imagine what a steady diet of this babble does to the brains of the people who can't stop watching them. Let alone Chris Matthews' jib-jabbery addiction.