While the media grow more and more obsessed with celebrities and their families, we should focus on real, important issues — The South Dakota Standard

There is a disturbing trend in what used to be called “news reporting.”

It’s stories about the wives, husbands, and children of celebrities and other famous people. I understand the interest in celebrities, although I think most of those stories are a waste of ink and data.

I don’t understand why reporters spend time investigating family members of famous folks.

It’s an invasion of privacy. Yes, the celebrity, or star if you prefer, has chosen to be in the public eye. The spouse didn’t. And certainly, the children didn’t have a choice.

What is it about us? 

Why do we “need” or even “want” to know about these non-celebrity family members? Are we that nosy, that shallow?

Case in point, the ex-president’s son, Barron (seen above with a family group at Trump’s 2016 inauguration in a public domain photo posted on wikimedia commons) is 18, legally an adult. Should his life be put under the “inquiring minds” microscope? Or should he be able to lead his own life, separate from anything his father or mother, do or say?

To me the answer is a firm YES!

If he does something newsworthy for good or bad, that is another situation.

I don’t care about Kevin Costner’s kids, Travis Kelce’s brother Jason and parents or anything about the Kardashian clan.

I do care about the plight of the homeless, the struggles of people dealing with mental illness, the blatant discrimination heaped on those dealing with gender identity, and women who have had their ability to deal with their own health issues taken away by legislators and so-called “Christians.”

To me, these are the real issues we need to know more about. These issues impact millions of lives. They impact ours, too. Either directly or indirectly.

I wish publishers and editors would stop assigning reporters stories which are at best, shallow, and at worst, gossip.

I also wish our fellow citizens would stop reading this tripe and concentrate on fixing the numerous human miseries which exist today.

OK, I’m done now.

Rick Knobe is a former mayor of Sioux Falls and a longtime radio talk show host who is now retired but remains active and involved in his community and state. His columns appear regularly on The South Dakota Standard.