Moments in insularity

In our attempts to get the latest news on the Madrid bombings via the "all news" channels on our US cable TV, we encountered very brief descriptions of what had happened, with nearly as much time devoted to what the initials ETA stand for, and emphasis on the fact that they are listed as a terrorist group by Europe and the US -- that'll learn 'em! But more to the point, from these channels' perspective, was covering the really important stories of the day, of which the following are merely the ones we can remember; all of CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC are equally implicated in this litany of insularity:

Should your dog be on the Atkins diet?
One year since Elizabeth Smart returned home [maybe/maybe not had been kidnapped]
Suspended Vancouver Canucks [ice] hockey player
Impending government action against performance-enhancing drugs in sport
Advice for dealing with breakups
The Bill O'Reilly--Frank Rich feud [Fox News blowhard and NYT critic battle over The Passion

To its credit, CNN en Espanol (basically, CNN for Latin America), was doing non-stop coverage of the bombings. But forget all that talk you might have heard about a new seriousness after 9/11.