Look at this CNN Online poll...What is the most important news story?

[La_Serpiente]

http://www.cnn.com/POLLSERVER/results/7424.content.html

Isn't it terrible? Leave it to Jacko to distract the public.

[hellbound-liberal]

1. George Carlin said it best...

"Think of how stupid the average person is and then realize that half of them are stupider than that!"

[maddezmom]

2. so sad n~t

[SharonAnn]

3. The most important ones aren't even on the list of choices

Energy Bill
Overtime Bill
Prescription Drug Bill

These are important because they affect each of us, our lives, our future, our families, their future, etc.

We'll all be poor, scavenging through trash cans, begging admittance to the charity ward.

These are really important!

[tom_paine]

5. What charity ward? The Busheviks believe the poor should die

And reduce the surplus population.

[Maccagirl]

6. But who will clean their house

and teach their children, and flip their burgers etc etc etc.

[number6]

4. simply mind boggling !!!!

:shrug:

[Military Brat]

7. The real poll: What "news" story received the most airplay?

CNN, as BuzzFlash says, is an acronym for "Contains No News"

[AmericanDem]

8. Not "Jacko" thank CNN

CNN avoided all negatives associated with the Bush visit to the UK. You can Thank them.

[terrisel]

9. Remember Newt Gingrich when he tried to Blame Democrats

for the woman who killed her 2 children (and then it later turned ourt that she had been molested by her Republican stepfather).

I think these news stories always come up and they always have great appeal to readers and viewers.

I think Gingrich sunk very low when he tried to make political capital out of a tragedy, and I think Jackson should be presumed innocent-but I wonder if there are issues of lack of care for children that can be raised legitimately when a storyline about child abuse is in focus.

Gingrich had overreached when he tried to link Democrats to the Susan Smith tragedy and was criticized. But the fact is that Republicans are trained to use the headline story of the day to push their agenda and it probably often works to their advantage.

I think they just think of it as a tactic and that is why they are not particularly embarassed if it doesn't work or if what they say isn't true.

We see the Michael Jackson story as a distraction, they would see it as an opportunity.

I honestly don't know how to make it an opportunity but I think lamenting the distraction can't help us. Somehow we have to accept that these stories will come up, and learn how to use them appropriately.

Right now the public is focused on Michael Jackson and child sexual abuse. How do we use that fact to make points beneficial to children?

I think a president should be able to accomplish more for children than reading The Hungry Catapiller several times a year. Is there legislation he has blocked? Is there legislation harming chilren's health he has pushed (Energy for sure---the "Clean" Air act).