…in a single paragraph.

Instead of churning headlines 24/7 and manufacturing “news” to feed this monster, do long-form, in-depth reporting on topics relating to the news. Use the ubiquitous news ticker to keep folks apprised of current events and break in for live coverage when it actually warrants it. It’s 60 minutes writ large and a damn sight more useful than Paris Hilton nip slips or Celebrity Divorce! or McCain is a mean old man or Obama is a vitriolic church leader’s puppet. Replay these documentaries on a loop the same way you do headlines. Heck myriad cable channels fill time in the same manner with less. And people watch it. Exhibit A: Cartoon Network.

Insightful, meaningful, textbook investigative journalism could feed that monster and still provide a platform for breaking headlines as required. The public just might make decisions on who will lead this country on criteria other than who makes a better bar buddy.

Just my 2 cents.