Frailty, Thy Name is Greta

Greta Van Susteren is upset that people are criticizing her turning her show into the "Natalee Holloway Find-A-Thon". I don't know the people are criticizing her in particular (although the Daily Show comment, claiming that she must be Holloway's mother, because only a relative would show that kind of perpetual and sustained grief, was pretty good). She seems to be upset that other journalists have scruples:

Much of the criticism got started when Bob Costas declined to guest host for Larry King last week. He declined when the producers planned to do a show on missing persons — I assume Natalee Holloway to be the main topic. I had considered responding to Costas' decision, which was widely reported, with a tongue in cheek remark (e.g. "He only looks for missing golf balls at the 8th hole") but then realized that maybe Bob Costas is not behind this latest skirmish over missing persons shows or segments. Plus, upon reflection, my tongue in cheek thought about Costas is not funny and it is probably wrong to criticize him. I also reminded myself that the bottom line is that the epidemic of missing people is serious and I should not be making jokes about it. It is not funny. It is not funny to the families.

Here is the plain truth: We have a missing persons problem — a giant one. The problem includes adults and children. It is here in the United States and overseas. We can either help or spend our time acting holier than thou.

The missing persons "epidemic" shows that cases declined 4% in 2001 (the most recent year studied), across the board, in every category. You wouldn't know it from the emotional pornography on display nightly "On The Record."

Van Susteren also says that the families of missing persons don't want her to back off. Of course they don't. They're in pain, and they don't mind being exploited for profit if it allows them to get their loved one back. That doesn't change how Greta stokes people's fear with her insistent narrow-minded focus, to the extent that I'm sure half the heartland thinks they're sure to be abducted the next time they walk out to the tractor. All she's doing is the same "if it bleeds, it leads" sensationalism that tabloid journalists have practiced since the Lindbergh baby. Missing persons were as much an epidemic then as they are now. That's ridiculous. It's a ratings grab, pure and simple, especially because absolutely nothing has changed in the case for months. There are less outstanding missing persons cases than there are troops in Iraq. I'd rather see a nightly show with those families.

I do agree that the last person in a position to criticize is CNN executive Jonathan Klein, who is busily running the once-venerable network into the ground by aping Fox at every turn. Which network did three weeks on the Atlanta judge shooting (mainly because it was in Atlanta)? Which network did a month on the runaway bride (mainly because she was from near Atlanta)? Which network thinks the key to hard political reporting is making their anchor STAND UP and putting giant monitors behind him (You're in The Situation Room, sucka)?

Bottom line, Greta Van Aruba is touchy because she knows what she's doing is self-serving, cynical and harmful to the dumbing-down of America. Actually, she probably doesn't know any of that. She's not really a journalist, but a lawyer who came to fame during the OJ Trial. Why would she understand such a thing?