PressEthic

In a rather bizarre front page article published yesterday in the Times, Vice President Cheney is portrayed through the adoring eyes of 6-year-old Grace Mosier, a Topeka, Kansas resident who "really, really likes him."

The article basically functions as a fluff piece of PR for the astoundingly unpopular Vice President, with gushing quotes from residents of this "heartland" city (“It’s just such a big thrill to see and hear this man”) and cutesy anecdotes about how the 6-year-old views the VP ("like a rock star coming to town," according to her father).

In the 1200+ word article, only two paragraphs mention the scandals that have recently rocked the White House or Cheney's record-low approval ratings (and even then it's not until the 11th and 23rd paragraph).

Does an article like this belong on the front page of the Times? Sure, the girls are cute and it makes for a good photo op, but does that make it newsworthy? Perhaps the "news" of this piece lies in the very fact that it's increasingly difficult to find constituents who will put themselves staunchly in Cheney's camp. Maybe the Times is making a more ironic point with this strange front-page feature: the only people who still like Cheney are 6-year-olds and residents of Topeka.