Barack Obama dropped his BlackBerry!

We have jets landing miraculously in the Hudson River, Cabinet appointee hearings, Obama campaigning for his stimulous package and a few wars in the Middle East. With all of this, the AP posts a story about the President Elect dropping his BlackBerry. Not giving it up like some security officials would like, but accidently dropping the device to the ground. Wow, this is wrong on so many levels:

1) This is not news. The First Officer of the USAir flight losing his cell phone durring the landing IS news, and true. This is not news.

2) Some observant folks have calculated that all of the coverage of Barack Obama and his BlackBerry addiction would be worth millions and millions of dollars in free advertising for RIM. That is news. This is not.

3) The world of newspaper journalism is busy predicting, observing and trying to avoid the demise of their entire industry. This is news. Writing a multi-paragraph story about someone dropping their phone is not only NOT NEWS, but a complete waste of journalistic resources that could be providing the in-depth reporting of Obama's stimulous campaign trip that only newspapers have historically provided. Instead the AP reporter gives us a 15 second snipet that would have difficulty getting time on Entertainment Tonight, let alone a news program. Also worth noting is the fact that the AP reporter saught comment on the issue from an Obama spokesperson.

4) The article closes with a cliffhanger. "No word yet on whether the Blackberry still works." How can anyone sleep not knowing if the President Elect will be able to read his e-mail tonight or if he'll be a huddled mass of sweat as he deals with his crackberry withdrawl symptoms?

5) Conspirocy theories could arise. Was this "accident" really the work of NCS (National Communications System) opperatives who are responsible for secure government communication? Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs quipped: "That may have solved his Blackberry dilemma, right? Forget the lawyers!" (True quotation!)

6) This story, as written, was carried by hundreds of "news" outlets.

Now that I have vented on the news media for absolutely ridiculous judgement, I can breath for a minute or two, and then write my next BlackBerry related rant.