Things to hate about cable news

Jack Shafer, media critic for Slate, lists things he hates about cable TV journalism. Among them:

[T]he absence of self-criticism. The networks have no trouble finding fault with the government relief strategy, but you'd never know from watching that they've gotten anything wrong.
Allow [Mark] Feldstein[, a recovering broadcaster who now teaches journalism at George Washington University,] to explain it all to you:
"TV is notoriously weak on self-criticism—no ombudsmen, no letters-to-the-editor, no columns for running corrections or clarifications. At best, some little-watched weekend cable shows will address media coverage of Katrina, but that will predictably focus on how tough a story it is to cover for journalists (with lots of shots of reporters roughing it) not the sins you mention."

Just this morning on "Today," NBC gave Bill Frist some face time. He has been in New Orleans campaigning, er, helping treat hurricane survivors. I was in bed with my eyes shut, so I don't know who said it, but someone introduced him as "the only physician in the U.S. Senate." I guess they've been saying it so long it's boilerplate, but they need to break that habit. Sen. Tom Coburn, wingnut-Okla., is an Ob/Gyn.