How To Manufacture A Late December Story
Trump announced today that Miss USA Tara Conner, who was being investigated by the Miss Universe Organization for "behavioral issues," would be allowed to keep her crown after a stint in rehab. Trump and Conner even shared a hug at the press conference. The story has gotten big play on CBSNews.com as well as other media outlets.
Which begs that most basic of questions – why? The Miss USA competition – a division of the Miss Universe Organization, and not to be confused with Miss America – isn't exactly a national obsession. Before her crown was in jeopardy, it's safe to say that most Americans had no idea who Conner was. So why has the story done so well? Here are a few reasons:
'Tis The Season: It's December 19th, and there's not much going on. The Mount Hood climbers story is coming to a conclusion, Congress is quiet, and most people are focused on the holidays. When the firing of a book editor is making headlines, you know it's slow out there.
The Pull Of The Narrative: Americans love a good rehab story. Why else would "Behind The Music" have had such a good run? We're naturally drawn to tales of successful people who've been seduced by drugs and/or alcohol and have made an effort to come out of the other side. Now, Conner isn't exactly a junkie – her main crime seems to have been going out and drinking a few nights in New York – but Trump has smartly played up the alcoholic angle anyway.
Girls Are Purty: If you had turned on MSNBC at a random point today, there's a good chance you would have seen a bikini-clad Conner walking across the Miss USA stage. Give producers an excuse to put scantily clad young women on television under the guise of "news," and they're going to take it. (The same goes for violence, of course. How many times have we seen the Knicks-Nuggets brawl in the past few days?)
Trump, one can safely assume, understands all this. He looked at media reports about Conner's partying and saw not a problem but an opportunity. And the press went happily along with him for the ride.
If I ever got that "if you could have one wish" question at a beauty pageant, incidentally, I guess I'd have to go with that most standard of answers: World peace. But if I had two wishes, well, let's just say I'd give serious thought to wishing for a press corps that covers real news instead of manufactured publicity stunts like this.