There's no such thing as news

Yesterday, in a staggering display of lazy journalism, probably compounded by lazy SEO (search engine optimisation), I came across a depressing example of "No News News".

The Daily Mail hysterically reported how Russell Brand 'taunted' Jack Straw on Twitter over his sons' DRUG HELL (an exaggeration, but when in Rome...) and 'demanded' that the Blackburn MP fork out money spent on the Iraq war. Why? Because he was probably irked about having to pay £150,000 over the Sachgate affair. Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawn.

What he actually said was:

I demand Jack Straw pays the 7bn pounds he squandered on the Iraq war that we didn't want. No wonder his son has to toke himself to sleep.

I read this, thought "Oh", and then did something else. Conversely the Daily Mail have so far managed to string out two substantially large shocked and appalled news articles about said Twitter Chunter.

Of course they've also managed to shoehorn columns and columns of anti-Beeb rhetoric, and frankly I'd be shocked if they didn't harp on about Saschgate.

For those who need a reminder (and don't expect me to give much air time to this) - Johnathan Ross and Brand left some inappropriate messages on the answering machine of Andrew Sachs about Brand sleeping with his grand-daughter - a stripper in a troupe called the Satanic Sluts, who's done a lot of hardcore S&M pornography. Not quite the Shy English Rose that the Daily Shriek makes her out to be. Anyway, I digress...

There was a massive earthquake in Italy over the weekend killing hundreds, North Korea is hurling nuclear missiles around East Asia, and we're entering the worst recession since WWII. So what if Brand and Ross offended some slapper and her grandfather?

Some perspective, please...