We gave you our Top 10 news stories of the year, but we doubt that all of those would end up on the most Googled list. The mainstream media’s fascination with the rumored and trivial knows no end, and so here is our list of the top overhyped stories of 2008.
1. Charlie Crist marries: We get (and appreciate) the whole fascination with the “Is-he-gay-or-isn’t-he” speculation and reportage that has gone on for years about our current governor. But as Gov. Crist’s wedding date with NY socialite Carole Rome approached, the media interest far outweighed the public interest. We got breathless stories about his barber, about the wedding ring, about who was (and wasn’t) on the invite list, etc. It was even a news story when it was revealed that semi-retired St. Pete Times Pulitzer winner Lucy Morgan would be the only member of the Fourth Estate allowed to attend the nuptials.
2. South Florida Congressman Tim Mahoney diddles and gets caught: What is it about Florida’s 16th Congressional District. The previous inhabitant, Republican Mark Foley, left the post after sexually explicit e-mails between himself and male pages surfaced. Then Mahoney, who campaigned on a platform of restoring faith in the office, turns out to be a serial adulterer. But still, even given those juicy details, the media circus that flared around his horny self went way beyond where it needed to be.
3. The Today Show broadcasts from UT as part of campaign coverage: Most of the ballyhooing about this non-event came from NBC partners locally, but others chimed in. OH, oh, I got to stand within 10 feet of Al Roker!!!!
4. Brett Favre is coming to the Tampa Bay Bucs!! Oh, sorry, he’s not. The Tampa Tribune sports department was especially egregious in the Favre speculationthon, practically house-hunting for him.
5. The tomato-salmonella scare: ’Memba when you couldn’t find a tomato in the stores or in fast-food restaurants? Reporters jumped all over the tainted tomatoes story, but it turned out the the biggest story was the millions that tomato farmers lost in the hype/scare.
6. Hulk Hogan’s family troubles: There is absolutely no further explanation needed.
This article appears in Dec 24-30, 2008.