Send in the Clowns

My favorite gate crashing iconoclasts are at it again! Seems the Newsbreakers have shaken off their meds long enough to stage two more live shot interventions - with starkly different results. First in New Hampshire, a lady and her man-tiger interrupt a remote broadcast before yukking it up with the bemused correspondent. The encounter was coming to a friendly close when the reporter in question let loose with a braying screech that probably sounded a whole lot cooler in his head.

Next up, the electronic jesters travel to Pittsburgh for a slightly lower-key approach to media discourse. Seems the Newsbreakers can't figure out why broadcasters fill the airwaves with murder and mayhem. Pointing their un-logo'd lens at a grumpy reporter, they politely inquire about the much-hyped bloodshed - only to meet the one reporter in Pittsburgh who doesn't want anymore face time. As a fellow member of the working press, I'd almost rather he'd screeched at them. Almost.

Okay, so I may be the one broadcasting professional who loves these guys, but doggone it - I dig their moxie! One of my least favorite aspects of this insipid business is the bloated self-importance that poisons so many of our ranks. It's TV news people - you J-School grads may think you're saving lives, but nine times out of ten, we're shilling overhyped pablum between dog food commercials! Embrace the medium for what it is - and what it ain't. I certainly have. While I probably wouldn't welcome the Newsbreakers' shenanigans while I got a face full of viewfinder, here on my laptop, it sure makes for damn entertaining media critique. Check out their site, watch their videos and decide for yourself. I'll be here, conjugating verbs, polishing my lens and practicing my screech. A-WEEEEEEEEEEEEE!