Annals of Cable News

The New Yorker used to have articles devoted to the "annals of..." various subjects. This report from the New York Times ought to be filed in the history books under the category "annals of anchormen behaving like children, causing their 'parent' companies to force them to stop." It's an interesting tale, showing how outsized egos and corporate ties among the news media elite can make for a controversy that causes both sides pain. I don't know that the solution is a negotiated settlement, as described here. I'd prefer that the "fair and balanced" investigation of claims on both sides be made, and that an alternative news source would arise to challenge both MSNBC and Fox News -- or CNN, for that matter. These corporate news channels may be fun to watch for some time, but you've got to grow weary of the obvious slanting of both sides' "news" over time. CNN has tread the middle ground so far, but the deal between Time Inc. and Turner Cable hasn't exactly worked in CNN's favor, either. I prefer to watch NBC (not MSNBC) now.