It is just Sam Zell

Note: Our family is involved in the Obama Care rollout until March 31. Posts on that later. 

Mr. Sam Zell is the esteemed owner of the Tribune Company, which includes the Chicago Tribune and The Los Angeles Times, if you want to call the owner of a bankrupt company esteemed. Mr. Zell filed Chapter 11 on the Tribune Company in December 2008.

Anyway, on February 6, 2014 Mr. Zell made the profound comment during an interview with Bloomberg TV that the 1% earn their wealth because they 'work harder'. I presume he means work harder than 99% of the rest of us. During the last few weeks city snow plow drivers have worked crazy hard, but I presume not quite as hard as Mr. Zell.

Of course WBBM News radio 780 AM, the radio station for the 1%, just had to make Mr. Zell's comment an item in their news cycle. No matter how absurd the comment is, because as Mr. Ron Gleason, Director of News and Programming said when I contacted him on this, "Hey, it is Sam Zell."

Mr. Gleason justified broadcasting that comment because Mr. Zell is a celebrity, and when a celebrity makes a comment it is news, no mater how absurd. As an example, if Chicago Mayor Emmanuel said the 'earth is flat' he would get instant coverage, because he is Mayor Emmanuel. Mr. Gleason said it is up to the listener to discern if the comment warrants credibility. It is the job of the news programmer to report differing views and let the listener determine what is worthy.

Although I understand the motive here is driven by advertising revenue. If someone famous says something absurd more people will listen, than if I should say 'the earth is flat'.  The constant coverage of Donald Trump comes to mind in this regard.

But shouldn't there be some journalistic push back that would warrant questioning the absurdity of a viewpoint that has been thoroughly discredited, such as Mr. Zell's. Rather than flatly broadcasting a comment on the premises that we are presenting both sides of the story and allowing the listener to make the decision what is correct.

Chasing after celebrities and broadcasting what ever ludicrous comment may come out of their mouth just seems like lazy journalism. The quote that gets on the air should be what is said not who said it. Let the statement stand on it's own after journalistic inquiry. Please.

But then again I suppose that does not sell a Lexus.