Chasing the Wind

For several hours last week no one could visit any media outlets or websites without hearing the shocking news that there was a boy in a balloon. Cable news channels gave the story continuous coverage without no breaks to talk about anything else that have happened that day. Regardless of whether or not they had anything new to report, news outlets kept the story going. This event, apparently, was the most important even in American history since the presidential inauguration.

Once the balloon landed and the boy was not found inside, authorities were perplexed. What could have happened to him? Now the media had a full-blown mystery to report. Given the situation only two things could have happened: Either (1) the Balloon Boy fell out of the balloon and is now lying dead or injured somewhere (not likely since no one tracking the balloon saw that happen) or (2) he was never in the balloon. Thankfully for the boy and his family, it was the second option.

Unfortunately this event exposed the sad state of media in America. For several hours, every single American media outlet spent all of their resources first chasing a weather balloon and then wondering why there was nothing inside. The whole story ended up being comparable to a mother losing track of her child at the mall and having mall security find him or her an hour later (something I am sure happens every day). Even if they boy had somehow been injured or died, what would have made his life any more important than any of the other 6-year-olds who die every day in the country and get no media coverage?

The only thing that made this story stand out was the balloon. Six-year-olds go missing every day without media coverage. This story was interesting because a balloon crashing to the ground with the possibility of a boy inside would make for dramatic footage. That would be different, exciting. That would get people in our voyeuristic society to turn on their TVs.

Now reports are coming out that this could have all been a hoax. The family had previously been on reality TV show. People are angry at the parents. I say this is misplaced anger. Hoaxes can only occur when people fall for them. If this ends up being a hoax, then the media only looks worse for falling for it. Keeping a constant stream of coverage on a story based on a false report from the witness of a child that his brother is in a balloon is just poor journalism.

The media has responsibility to report on stories accurately without blowing them out of proportion. There are many important things happening in the world. Unfortunately, a desire to keep viewers tuned in causes the media to report heavily on "interesting" or salacious stories and less on other stories that, while important, might not bring in as many viewers. The media has to do better than chasing hot air.