UPDATE:  Given the reports that are now coming out, it appears the family deserves if not a flogging, certainly an admonishment.  The dad may wind up with a jail sentence.

Per my earlier real time post, here is the clip from Ed Schultz’s show tonight about the boy in the bubble and his “s-t-r-a-n-g-e” family.  It’s clear that MSNBC’s editors wanted to milk this story for all it was worth, even if it meant putting this family through a public flogging.  As the media showed footage of an object perhaps falling from the balloon, they feared their son was lying somewhere after falling thousands of feet to his death. 

Once it was learned he was OK, MSNBC and Schultz tried in every way to paint the family as irresponsible.  Listen to Schultz’s inquisition.

After this segment, Arianna Huffington was the guest.  He asked her what she thought of the story.  After saying that it was indeed a strange story, she asked, “Now that he is found, why are we still talking about this?”

I can never seem to upload MSNBC videos (the one above is from YouTube), so here’s the link — http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/33335050#33335050.  It was quite an argument.

When I told my wife about this, she, as she is wont to do, cut to the chase.  “It’s the 24-hour news cycle.  They got to have something talk about.  We need a law:  They can only air news at 10, 2 & 6 – for one hour.”

It’s an idea worth considering.  Well, it’s at least as good as the journalism practiced here.