Last week, Jon Stewart announced his Rally to Restore Sanity to take place Oct. 30 in Washington D.C. And let’s be honest: When more than 20 percent of the country doesn’t believe our president was born in America, we could use a little sanity. But with the media focusing on what will make “good news” and not “real news,” that statistic isn’t surprising.

In the constant pursuit of entertainment, our conventional media sources focus on any insult-spewing group of Neanderthals that the rest of us might find amusing.  The problem is that people almost always take news outlets like MSNBC, CNN and Fox News at their word. When claims that Obama is a racist insurgent are reported alongside the weather, it’s no wonder more than a few of our more gullible brethren were drawn to political extremist groups like the Tea Party.

When crazies attract attention, the media jumps to report it, which in turn swells their ranks. Hopefully, the Rally to Restore Sanity will draw media attention to one of the major flaws in American media: over sensationalizing extremists. Just because their ideas are extreme doesn’t necessarily mean they’re news worthy. With any luck, it’ll remind the mainstream media that America is getting tired of their reliance on wacky fringe news flashes to fill their airtime, and that we are turning to other outlets, like “The Daily Show,” for news.

— Allison Gauss
Staff Writer