Discerning news from non-news used to be one of the key functions of journalists and their editors. Back in the day, reporters were limited by the practical problem of limited physical space in the print edition. Some things made it, others didn’t.

While I love the Internet (as I sit here blogging), there are times I think editors should use old style discretion when deciding what is and what is not newsworthy. Some things should never be posted online and certainly not as news.

I write this after reading a gossip-style news tidbit from Politico which describes in every detail how Sen. Chuck Schumer called a flight attendant a “bitch” (or the “B-Word,” as Politico puts it) under his breath after she told him to turn off his cell phone before takeoff. After that long-winded gossip, we also get an account of Rep. Virginia Foxx “shooshing” one of her colleagues who whispered something to another person while she was speaking at a conference. Then, we get to hear the stunning news that Rep. Grace Napolitano made chili and guacamole for a party. This sounds like something you’d read in a celebrity gossip column. Have we gotten to the point that we look at politicians in the same light as celebrities, where people want to hear every little detail of the lives of the rich, famous and powerful?

I think the Politico and other outlets who report this nonsense need to exercise a little good old fashioned news discretion.

Assistant Editor

Much has been made recently about Texas Governor Rick Perry’s comments at the tax day protests, suggesting that Texans may become so fed up with the federal government that they will want to secede from the union.  Of course, the Governor is careful to say that he doesn’t necessarily endorse such an idea himself.  It’s just something the citizens might come up with spontaneously, on their own, without any prompting from a Governor facing a primary challenge.  Nothing to do with that at all.

So now media is running with it, because… well, what would you expect them to do?  Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay appeared on Hardball and actually outlined how Texas would go about seceding.  It would somehow split itself into five separate states and get itself kicked out of the union.

Interestingly, there has been some unintended input from Secretary of State Clinton’s office on Texas secession.  On April 8th, the State Department website listed the countries the Secretary had visited and the number of miles she traveled.  On this list, between the Netherlands and Mexico, was Texas.

Texas was the only state to appear on the list, which was titled, “Countries Visited and Mileage: 2009.”  It took about six days, but the State Department has since corrected the error.  However, you can see the original page via google cache.

Apparently the State Department took the Texas tourism slogan, “It’s like a whole other country,” literally.

Assistant Editor

Considering the SF Chronicle is on the verge of disappearing, I found this little nugget to be especially poignant.

The whole thing is great, but I love at the end how the internet edition is $10 and takes 2 hours to load, while the paper edition is 20 cents. Here we are, almost thirty years later, and the situation is reversed. Print is more expensive than the internet.