Bad news

Re “Too much Michael?,” Opinion, June 27

A rich man died young. Thanks, Tim Rutten, for your lonely voice of sanity on the global tsunami of cele-babble about Michael Jackson.

Millions could starve and the world dry up to a cinder, but never mind that.

And now people will be fighting tooth and claw to get their pre-written books out, the electronic media convulsion already well underway.

James Leigh

Claremont

Rutten’s column concerning the frenetic outpouring of emotion after the death of Michael Jackson was honest and to the point.

When I tried to watch the news or listen for information other than about Jackson, I was frustrated because the media were obsessed with his death. It was as if the world had become silenced and nothing of import was happening.

Victoria Francis

Los Angeles

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I’m surprised a columnist of Rutten’s stature wouldn’t understand that the raw outpouring of emotion over the loss of Jackson was organically driven by word of mouth and through the Internet. The media were simply trying to keep up with the wildfire.

More important, Jackson’s renown eclipses all those news topics that Rutten named, including a nuclear North Korea, a revolt in Iran and, especially (yawn), coverage of Congress.

Living art like Michael Jackson comes around with the frequency of Halley’s comet.

Throughout the world, people understood this.

Scott Golden

La Mirada

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The media fascination with entertainers -- the whole gamut of buffoons, actors, singers, dancers, exhibitionists and worse -- is lamentable. You’d think they were God’s grand gift to mankind and that their deaths are major milestones in the course of human history. Pathetic.

Marco-Antonio Loera

Inglewood

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Rutten’s article was right on. We have no serious news media in this country anymore, including your paper, which decided the front page would be largely devoted to Jackson for days.

American news, including 24-hour cable news networks, has become all about ratings and not about news. Important issues that should have received top-of-the-hour or front-page placement were put in scrawls or buried inside.

Jackson’s death shows again that it’s not about news but about pop culture and whatever sells. Edward R. Murrow and Huntley and Brinkley must be turning over in their graves.

Mitch Perliss

Sherman Oaks