CNN: See no evil

Just saw Jeanne Moos do one of her whimsical, feel-good little reports on CNN. This one was about the signs at a pro-Mubarak rally. In a tone that invited us to find the whole business charming, endearing, and amusing, she drew our attention to misspelled homemade signs and to signs being held by small children (or, in one case, hung around the neck of a pet cat). One of the signs depicted in tight close-up in the report featured a picture of Mubarak, and viewers paying close attention would have noticed the Star of David scrawled on his forehead. But of course if Moos had pointed out to that nasty little detail, she’d have failed in her effort to give viewers a warm, cozy feeling about the demo and its participants. So in good CNN fashion, she pretended it wasn’t there.