Tina Brown: Get More Elite

In her regular column today in the Style section, Tina Brown expands upon her rant from The Week's Opinion Awards a few weeks back: It's time for the media elite -- that new cussword -- to stop moaning about [the] irreversible trend [of how you can't get real news anywhere anymore]. It lost the fight because it wasn't elite enough. Elites are supposed to lead, but mainstream media and the conglomerates that own it are the most docile followers of all. Like the Democrats in Congress, we are a craven crowd. We go panting after the 25-to-54 demographic and the networks panic if a show devoted to foreign affairs or the world of ideas pulls down the ratings for a lousy hour or two. ... The news cycle has evolved into a pattern that strobes between overkill and silence, but reality has not ceased to exist. As our eyes are exclusively focused on a hospice in Florida or an apartment in Atlanta, you wonder uneasily: What's going on beyond that wall of noise? The earthquake off Indonesia this week was like the sudden recriminating cry of the tsunami victims who lost our interest: "Remember me. I'm still here." It's always so great to see the elite of the media elite engage in self-flagellation, isn't it? Just in case you were wondering how Ms. Brown is following her own advice, here's a segment teaser from her most recent "Topic A with Tina Brown" show on CNBC: "Seventeen magazine's Atoosa Rubenstein joins Tina to talk on mixing makeup tips and dating advice with inspiring words from the Bible.... and how adding a new Faith section to the teen magazine was good for the bottom line." Ohmigod. That's so fascinating. It's, like, totally elite.

Fishbowl

Tina Brown: Get More Elite

Garrett

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