It's easy to be self-righteous and cranky when comparing media coverage of the trivial with reporting of consequential matters. Let me try to resist the urge to leap on the soap box and present just the facts.

On its front page today, The Washington Post carries a story on "wrap rage": consumer anger at the hard plastic packaging that now surrounds many toys and that is nearly impossible to penetrate. The article quotes a local consumer proclaiming, "I hate it. I hate it." Another gripes, "It takes at least 40 minutes to get all the packaging off all the toys" on Christmas morning.

This, I repeat, is front-page news.

On page A16, there is a small piece headlined "U.N. Official Calls Violence in Darfur 'Horrific.'" It notes:

The U.N. high commissioner for human rights, Louise Arbour, told a U.N. Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva that the Sudanese government and an allied militia called the Janjaweed were "responsible for the most serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law."

The conflict began in early 2003 when rebels rose up against the government, which responded by arming and supporting the Janjaweed, human rights groups say. As many as 450,000 people have died from disease and violence, and 2.5 million have been displaced.

The U.N. Human Rights Council decides not to pursue the practitioners of mass-murder in Darfur, and the news of this decision appears deep in the paper. People are plagued by the difficulty of unwrapping toy packages, and their plight is featured on page one. Oh, did I mention that already?

Posted by David Corn at November 30, 2006 04:09 PM