Why So Much Coverage?

Why is President Clinton's surgery and hospital stay recieving SO MUCH coverage on the news networks? I have seen interviews, live coverage, analyist, etc... Now I am not saying its not newsworthy, as it is... but, would the news coverage be the same for any other former President who had the same thing happen to him?

Please no flaming, as I am not Clinton bashing. ...just asking a simple question.

[edit on 6-9-2004 by John bull 1]

Do a search on Ronald Regan and you'll see this is nothing new.

TV stopped for a week when Reagen died. Not to mention the Abu Gharib scandal went soft.

So this is the drill when they're popular, and Clinton is popular. I'd be annoyed too if it approached Reagen sized coverage, but we're not there yet.

I think people are actualy sorry for what they did to Bill when it comes to the Monica afair and see now(with Bush) that Clinton wasn't all that bad.

Not to mention that an ex presidents life being prematurely treatened by something alot of people in the world are plagued with(heart problems) is something that brings alot of extra sentiment.

I don't think there's anything unprecedented about the coverage. He just got through a risky surgical procedure and he is a popular ex-president.

All ex-presidents get news coverage when they have health problems.

And I don't think we'll approach Reagan-like coverage. Now that he's through it, and doing well (fingers crossed), I think it will wind down within the next couple of days.

Yep those Heart Bypass surgeries happen every day. Most of it is pretty routine. If you thought this got a lot of coverage take a look at Hurricane Frances. From another ATS article about Hurricane Ivan I gurantee the words "Hurricane Ivan" will be plastered on CNN and Fox. The news is a business and they will cover something (like a rape case) even though their is hundreds of them a day. Same with kidnappings and sharks and anthrax. The news will cove anything they think their viewers will find interesting.

Originally posted by MysticalUnicorn
Same with kidnappings and sharks and anthrax.

Sharks!!!

Thanks for reminding me about that. That was a constant pet peeve of mine in 2001. It only saddens me that it took 9/11 to kill that story (along with Chandra Leevy).

News coverage puts on the stuff people want to hear, and people want to hear about Clinton, as simple as that.