Stoking stupidity

NEED MORE evidence that news has become "info-tainment?" Try this on for size. This morning, MSNBC's "Morning Joe" handed a national megaphone to potential presidential candidate Donald Trump to let him explain at length why he believes President Obama was born in Kenya. (By the way, suspend any notions about the actual truth. In this game, ratings are more important than the facts.) In the aftermath, cable news and talk shows devoted long segments dissecting The Donald's the preposterous contention. CNN's bottom-screen caption read: "TRUMP STOKES 'BIRTHER' DOUBTS." It should have read: "MEDIA STOKES TRUMP'S STOKING OF 'BIRTHER' DOUBTS." In a perfect world, news about Trump's crazy talk would never see the light of day. In a less perfect world, reporting would explore Trump's fitness as a presidential contender given his crazy talk. Sadly, we live in neither world. The world we actually live in is a place where reporters giggle about Trump's crazy talk or, worse, try to discern logic in the illogical.