I’m hoping that this post will ultimately serve no purpose, but in our paparazzi-driven world, one never knows.
Overall I’ve been fairly pleased with the news coverage of Obama’s first week as president. Sometime on the second day, however, I saw the following headline on one of the news sites:
Obama Daughters Return to School
There was a picture next to it of the girls getting out of a car. Might have been a stock photo from the day after the election, but it’s hard to tell.
I didn’t click on the link. I didn’t want to add a hit to that page’s count.
I do want to send a message, in my own small way, to the news media, both legitimate and otherwise:
Now is the time to stop. Right now.
Yes, Obama’s daughters are darn cute. Downright adorable, even. I mean, seriously:
But I don’t want to know when they’re in school or not. Or what their hobbies are. Or if they take a damn field trip to the Smithsonian.
Get your collective asses away from their school and back over to The White House. That’s where the people’s business is being done. That’s where the news is. And that’s what you should be covering.
And if the President and his wife want to bring the girls out into public on a rare occasion, that’s their choice. Heck, he can even send me one of those cute “family photo” Christmas cards.
Otherwise, I’d much prefer not to hear of the children at all. You did it for Chelsea, you can do it for them.
I want to be surprised on the rare occasion that they appear in public and I think “wow, those kids have grown,” okay?
Enough said. End of rant.
The GeekHiker 
My thoughts exactly. And those punkasses at Ty that are marketing the dolls that “just happen” to have the same names as the girls??? They oughta have their awkward juniorhigh pictures posted for the world to see. Punkasses.
(http://sieboy.wordpress.com/2009/01/24/michelle-obama-inappropriate-to-use-daughters-to-sell-dolls/)
By: Ms. H on January 26, 2009
at 4:01 am
Obama’s girls are incredibly adorable and the media needs to let them be what they are: KIDS.
I agree with you, GH – the media needs to say where it belongs: covering the White House and the political happenings behind those doors.
Let the Obama’s lead as regular a life as possible and focus on the issues directly affecting America.
By: East Coast Teacher on January 26, 2009
at 4:29 am
(P.S. You CANNOT post a comment like, “You really, really, really don’t want to know where I went out of town,” then NOT tell me where you went!
That’s mean, my friend 😉
Where did you GO?!
*Prepares to be insanely jealous*
By: East Coast Teacher on January 26, 2009
at 4:30 am
I totally agree.
By: Homer-Dog on January 26, 2009
at 7:01 am
I agree wholeheartedly.
By: Aaron on January 26, 2009
at 9:12 am
On Katie Couric’s interview with the Obama’s a couple of days before the Inauguration, President Obama mentions the quickest way to see him lose it, is if the press doesn’t leave his children alone and let them get back to some kind of normalcy.
I totally agree – the press need to leave the girls alone.
By: dobegil on January 26, 2009
at 10:11 am
GH, I completely agree as well. And I really hope the press gets it and leaves the girls alone.
By: Wendy on January 26, 2009
at 11:11 am
WELL SAID!!! and I saw the CNN report this morning that talked about the sasha and malia dolls Ms. H mentions. Do these people not have better things to do? They claim the dolls have no resemblance to the Obama girls … oh really …
By: seine on January 26, 2009
at 2:36 pm
I agree. And the doll thing is aweful.
By: Anya on January 26, 2009
at 3:43 pm
I’m glad I’m Canadian. I have no idea who our PM’s kids are.
By: Mrs Chuck Bartowski on January 27, 2009
at 5:33 am
It’s weird that our President has hit rock-star status where his life, clothes, family, and his stinkin’ blackberry get dissected on E!. Now I loves me some entertainment news, but I really could care less what color gloves the little ones wore to school yesterday.
Unless they’ve taken the presidential limo on a joyride to Vegas with their Hannah Montana thermoses full of Hypnotic ‘n kool-aid, I don’t care.
By: thecoconutdiaries on January 27, 2009
at 7:58 am
I don’t remember knowing anything about the other White House girls as they were growing up, and the same holds here. Those dolls that someone came out with should go unsold.
Question: Why are so many of our recent presidents fathers of daughters?
By: Laura on January 27, 2009
at 10:08 am
Amen!
By: just a girl on January 27, 2009
at 1:25 pm
obama bumper sticker:
“keep scoping out my kids…the snipers are scoping you out too”
By: Lawrence on January 27, 2009
at 1:48 pm
I wonder why you mention them in the first place. Even though I agree with you, I would not even the bring the whole story up.
By: Gany on January 27, 2009
at 3:09 pm
Well put. Our news media sucks in this country. They never actually cover the stuff that really matters. It’s always Brittney’s naked crotch over war in Darfur… Infuriating.
By: Mel Heth on January 27, 2009
at 3:13 pm
Dude. I could not have said it better. I’m right there with you.
By: brandy on January 27, 2009
at 6:28 pm
Ms. H – I was unaware of that. Creepy.
East Coast Teacher – Let’s hope that’s exactly what happens.
East Coast Teacher – I’ll put up something soon…
Homer-Dog – Cool.
Aaron – Excellent.
Dobegil – I think I remember seeing that and agreeing wholeheartedly.
Wendy – The press? Getting it? Is that possible?
Seine – As I said, creepy!
Anya – Gotta wonder what genius thought it up…
Mrs Chuck Bartowski – Well, Canadians have a better sense of limits than we ‘Mericans do…
TheCoconutDiaries – Yeah, but we all know that Vegas story will only be interesting after they’re of legal age…
Laura – I remember Chelsea appearing every so often, but only on rare occasion…
Just A Girl – 🙂
Lawrence – Welcome in. I fully expect to see that sticker on the back of the presidential limo next time I see it, too.
Gany – I considered that, but the 100 or so views of this post hardly compares to the hits on cnn.com, I should think…
Mel Heth – (in my best valley-boy voice) “But Darfur is so, like, depressing and stuff, like, oh-my-gawd.” This, sadly, is the audience the media are aiming to…
Brandy – Thanks.
By: geekhiker on January 27, 2009
at 11:16 pm
What bothers me even more is that we have a LOT of things happening in the world. A lot of things that need our attention and we deserve to know about them too: i.e. Sri Lanka’s civil war, Gaza massacre, Zimbabwe, Congo and Sudan! But, Alas, during that time, I was only offered Obama girls’ lunch menu.
Totally agree with your post.
By: Ajnabiyya on January 28, 2009
at 12:56 pm
Ajnabiyya – What bothers me is the lack of balance. I don’t have any problem with the fluffy news per se, the problem is that it’s all fluffy news, rather than a mix of hard news and softer stuff (which, as important as it is, would be hard to watch all the time…).
By: geekhiker on January 29, 2009
at 10:52 pm