On media consolidation

"There is a reason why TV executives believe that the Michael Jackson's trial or Tom Cruise's engagement deserves more media coverage than the decline of the middle class, the increase in poverty that we're experiencing or the growing gap between the rich and the poor."
-- Vermont Rep. Bernie Sanders, TPMCafe

Maybe it's because, you know, people watch it. And TV is a business. You know - to make money.

If people cared about another story covering "the decline of the middle class," then they'd seek those stories out. But celeb gossip plays big, and gets covered accordingly. Like it or not, the media, at least any organization that wants to be profitable, is largely in the business of giving people what they want, not telling them what they ought to be interested in.