It's Just Reading The News, Folks

Just to prove there are indeed still Neanderthals roaming the streets of Toledo, The Blade ran this letter to the editor:

Once the "honeymoon" period is over and the curiosity seekers have tuned out, CBS Evening News ratings will return to dismal pre-Couric levels, if not lower. Katie better show a little leg and shake her booty to distract the viewers from her journalistic shortcomings. If not, when the reviews aren't positive and the audience isn't there, she might just have a good cry.

I didn't watch it, but her critics couldn't wait to pile on...

She moved out from behind the anchor desk often and gave us flashes of leg and thigh in sit-down interviews, including one with New York Times columnist Tom Friedman that featured this memorable exchange:

Katie: Are we safer today than before September 11, 2001?

Tom: In same ways yes, in some ways no.

But the really pathetic part of the show came at the end when perky Katie revealed breathlessly that, after three months of preparation, she didn't have a way to close her new nightly newscasts.

Instead, she played back some of TV news more memorable closings (Edward R. Murrow saying "Good night and good luck," Huntley and Brinkely - "Good night Chet, Good Night David" - and Walter Cronkite saying "And that's the way it is." We also got the less memorable (Dan Rather saying "Courage") and even Ted Baxter from the Mary Tyler Moore show and Ron Burgandy (Will Ferrell).

So she's asking viewers to submit suggesting closings for her newscast.

I've got one suggestion. How about: "Good night and this is my final broadcast. I'm doing journalism a favor by leaving the business."

If you don't like her, don't watch her.  I loath Sean Hannity and Limbaugh.  I turn them off, so I end up missing a lot of blogworthy fodder as examples of wingnut claptrap.  Don't expose your chauvinistic jealousy for the world to mock.