Disney-owned ABCNews.com: All the News Fit to Strip?

Photo of Ken Shepherd.
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NewsBusters.org | Screenshot from ABCNews.comEarlier this week we documented how ABCNews.com used a photo illustration in its top headlines lineup that pictured a Bible, a rosary, and a bare-shouldered woman apparently in the throes of passion.

Well, in this morning's ABCNews.com lineup of top stories: John and Cindy McCain's tax returns, Hillary Clinton bashing Barack Obama, Pope Benedict at the UN, and how a company plans to make a stripper game for use on the Nintendo Wii.

The graphic (pictured at right) features a young woman holding the traditional Wii controller against a silhouette of a woman grasping a stripper pole. The link takes readers to an ABCNews.com story by Ashley Phillips.

Now, I don't think the story is totally meritless, but "Top Headlines" material?

Is ABCNews.com merely doing its job to put the, ahem, sexiest stories it can on its front page to gin up more readership and ad revenue, or is it doing a disservice to general audiences, particularly parents who might find such decisions irresponsible on the part of the Disney-owned ABC?


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I don't have a strong

I don't have a strong opinion on your question, but I do notice that (once again!)  they don't identify the young woman's party affiliation (obviously Republican, as she is attractive).

“There’s nobody (white) on my staff who would still be working for me if they made a comment like that about anybody of any (other) ethnic group.” -Obama (talking about Imus)

(parentheticals added for clarity)

I have to make one thing

I have to make one thing clear, Ken.  There is no way that the Wii would ever "come with stripper poles."  It would be a third-party product developed and sold by the licensee.  Nintendo would have nothing to do with the hardware or software other than granting the rights to develop it for their console.  Just like you can't blame Sony because you can play porn DVD's on one of their players, we can't make this look like Nintendo is actually behind it.  They haven't consented to the game in question, and I'm highly doubtful that they would.  Nintendo has the most family-friendly software out there in comparison with the other video game systems on the market. 

Other than that, it's obviously smut, and ABCNEWS.com could definitely place it further back in their que, without the nice little graphic. 

 But again, I'm saying this as I can see, out of the corner of my eye, yet another attractive female lifting a conservitive-themed t-shirt up, revealing her nicely tanned-and-toned mid-section.  I have to wonder why that's okay?

 

 

I think people just need a

I think people just need a break once in awhile from all the same BS: Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Osama Bin Laden, Britney Spears, and G. Bush. 

I think the stripper-Wii game is going to be a hit; better dump some more money in that Nintendo stock :) 

Who's working over at the

Who's working over at the ABC online photo studio, and how do I get a job there?