An ivory bone to pick

Brian Palmer's article on Slate had a promising start: "Months of armed conflict in the Ivory Coast may soon come to a close, as president Laurent Gbagbo, who refused to relinquish power after losing last fall's presidential election, finally began negotiating with opposition forces surrounding his home. If everything goes well, the country's main exports—petroleum, cocoa, and coffee—will fund its recovery." Does Palmer explore those important topics? Of course not. He asks instead, " What about ivory? Does the Ivory Coast still live up to its name? Not so much." He spends the next 534 words explaining why, and it's not even particularly interesting. But I'm being unfair. Palmer writes the sometimes entertaining "Explainer" column for Slate. So, he can be forgiven. The bone I'm really picking with Slate is the digital magazine's tendency to find and exploit the "entertainment" element in serious news stories, even those involving tragedy. Some examples: Japan's nuclear disaster: "Can you OD on potassium iodide?" CBS reporter Lara Logan's Tahrir Square assault: "What's the Difference Between Rape and Sexual Assault?" The international whale hunting bans: "How Do You Kill a Whale? First, blow up its brain." The Gabby Giffords Tucson shootings: "Do Crazy People Have Crazy Dreams?" You get the picture. Slate is a wonderful website. It's too bad its editors feel the need to stoop to tabloid levels (think Huffington Post) for the promise of elephantine page visits.