Is it news?

I know you're never supposed to get into a war of words with people who buy ink by the barrel. However I'm amazed at what passes for news in today's newspapers. Recently I saw a breathless headline declaring Israel was targeting the leaders of Hamas. What amazing in-depth journalism. I would have never suspected if the media hadn't broken the story for me.

Today there was a story in the Ottawa Citizen informing me that divorced men tend to suffer depression at higher rates than men who are not divorced. Oh really? I wonder why? I'd better study that article so I'll know.

Today's National Post featured an article about Stephen Harper visiting Afghanistan. Rarely do you see such negative opinion masquerading as an objective presentation of fact. What really interested me was the complaints by the reporter. Apparently the media was informed that national security charges would be laid if they leaked the story and as a result someone in the military or government was killed. Members of the media actually being held accountable to the same standards the rest of us live by? Now that is news!