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Have you seen the engagement photos of Prince William and Kate Middleton? Did you know they were engaged? Is it possible to have any connection to the outside world and not know?
When I'm doing work that does not take up much of my mental space, I like to have news shows or political discussions on in the background. I remember the day when the royal engagement was announced, because on far too many channels, the news and the politics just stopped. Everything was sacrificed to the cause of William and Kate's upcoming fairy tale.
The Associated Press put out a story titled, "Networks rush to cover royal engagement." The reporter quoted various high-profile people in the television news business who noted how much Americans love their feel-good stories and their escapism, and that nothing feeds those cravings like a tale of a prince and a princess.
NBC's Brian Williams said, "I grew up in a New Jersey household with my mom's commemorative Charles & Diana Royal Wedding coffee mug on our kitchen windowsill." Then, remarking on his experiences interviewing Prince Charles, Williams added, "We spent enough time together to get to know one another fairly well - something I never thought would happen as a kid growing up in New Jersey."
What I wonder is this: What was Brian Williams really thinking? Was he really as absorbed in the "aw, shucks, who would have thunk it" mentality that the AP story seemed to suggest? Or in his own mind, was he pondering different issues. For example: If the anticipation of a royal wedding really is an American form of fantasy and escapism, what does that mean? Do viewers see the coverage as fairy tale material, or do some take it a bit more seriously - as an indication of how they should live their lives (get married, like princes and princesses do) and of what is important in the world (as indicated by the story's prominence in supposedly serious programming)?
As Brian Williams was telling the AP how great it was for some New Jersey kid to get to spend time with a real life Prince (on the network's dime), was his sense of wonder ever pierced, even momentarily, by a thought about all the news bureaus that are closing around the world? (I'm picking on Williams because he is NOT the worst of the bunch.)
It would be a boon to our democracy and the thoughtfulness of our nation to have a more reflective and analytical media. In the meantime, though, a more contemplative set of media consumers might get us through the night.
[Thanks to David for encouraging me to write about this.]
