Dept. of Great Minds Thinking Alike

I wasn't the only one who wondered why the discovery of a sophisticated shrapnel bomb along the route of a Martin Luther King Day parade in Spokane, Wash., was not a bigger story. So did Rachel Maddow, as you can see from the video at bottom.

My friend David Sirota is also curious, although his theory is that the failed bomb wasn't a bigger deal because it wasn't in New York or Washington:

I have an answer to that question -- it's an answer I've previously written about in a 2006 post entitled "It's the Geography, Stupid." As you can see from the clips Maddow cites, the "national" media has devoted wall-to-wall coverage to bomb scares that have occurred specifically in New York and Washington, D.C. That's not a coincidence from a "national" media that isn't "national" at all. Indeed, what passes for a "national" media these days is almost exclusively New York/D.C.-based media that focuses almost exclusively on New York/D.C.-centric stories.

Watch the typical news broadcast on a given night and you'll see what I'm talking about. Despite having satellite feeds and news facilities all over America, almost all of the "national" shows you will see are nonetheless primarily featuring anchors and guests living in, working in and focusing on Washington and New York.

Of course, Sirota is based in Denver.

On that note, have a great weekend. When I see you again on Sunday, I'll be older. But so will you.