New lows in old media

By Libby

Like Steve Benen, I had rather high hopes for Politico when they started up their on-line newspaper. I thought it sounded like a great idea. Considering the talent they brought on board, I thought we might finally get a news outlet that wasn't afraid to expose the inner ugly of the beautiful people of the Beltway. No such luck.

As Steve reports they have decided to compete with the sludge at Drudge, or worse, work in tandem with the master of slimy innuendo and false rumors in order to boost both their sites. It seems hard to believe with all that's going on in the country and the world at large, they couldn't find a better story than how much John Edwards is spending on haircuts. I suppose it's only a matter of time until they analyze the candidate's selection of ties and casual wear, instead of their policy positions. It's all very disappointing.

And speaking of bad journalism, Fox News hit yet another new low themselves with this vile obit of Kurt Vonnegut. I don't know who that fat guy was who was delivering the lines, but clearly he felt it necessary to do a petty little smear job on a dead guy in order to make himself feel like less of a failure.