Gravitas, Anyone? Yahoo Puts Couric Trip to Iraq, Syria Under 'Entertainment News'

"Seriously?!"

That's what I thought when I received an e-mail from NewsBusters reader Lori Puente informing me that Yahoo News is listing an article about Katie Couric's upcoming trip to report from Iraq and Syria in the "entertainment news" section.

Sure enough, I took a look at Yahoo News and there the headline was: "Katie Couric to report from Iraq, Syria."

Given the nature of news on the Web, it's likely to change by the time many of you folks read this, so for a screencap, check out Puente's blog here.

The story in question is from the AP's David Bauder. Here are the first few grafs:

NEW YORK - Katie Couric plans to leave Wednesday for an ambitious reporting trip to Iraq and Syria — the CBS anchor's first time in the war zone — in anticipation of a crucial military report on progress of the American effort.

Couric will anchor the "CBS Evening News" from Baghdad next Tuesday and Wednesday, then from Damascus on Thursday and Friday.

Couric will travel throughout Iraq to talk to military and civilian leaders, soldiers and average Iraqis, spending most of her time outside of Baghdad. CBS News would not reveal many specifics of her plans in advance because of competitive and safety concerns. The trip, in the works for six weeks, anticipates the surge progress report by Gen. David Petraeus that is expected the second week of September.

While I doubt the listing in entertainment news is not a deliberate swipe at Couric's journalistic style or her reputation as a long-reigning queen of fluffy news features on NBC's "Today" show, it is amusing precisely because of those persistent criticisms of the "Evening News" anchor.