Anna Nicole Smith Bigger Than Iraq War, For Media

CNN reported this morning how the Smith death was the most discussed issue on radio and cable talk shows 2 days after her death; twice as much as for the Iraq war. For the media and some internet sites ratings skyrocketed. The public overwhelming think that the coverage is excessive. But the bottom line is the media has profited greatly from this nonsense. NBC evening news devoted 3 plus minutes to Smith's death and a fraction of that on the Iraq war:

"The death of Anna Nicole Smith [Feb. 8] was a feeding frenzy for the national media ... 'NBC's Nightly News' devoted 14 seconds to Iraq compared to 3 minutes and 13 seconds to Anna Nicole. CNN referenced Anna Nicole 522 percent more frequently than it did Iraq. MSNBC was even worse -- 708 percent more references to Anna Nicole than Iraq. The lop-sided coverage largely ignored many key developments in Iraq, including the sixth downing of a U.S. helicopter in the past three weeks, the allegations that a deputy Iraqi health minister was aiding a Shiite militia in its attacks against U.S. troops, and the death of four Marines."

Of course CNN is promoting Glenn Beck's coverage of guess who tonight at 7 and 9pm. Don't miss it.