If a Liberal Falls in the Forest, Does Anyone Hear?

Fred Clark brings our attention to a statement released by liberal Christian leaders:

So yesterday, more than 60 Christian leaders released a statement “expressing their strong opposition to any legislative proposal that fails to extend the 2009 improvements made to refundable tax credits such as the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit.”

I’m quoting there from Nick Sementelli of the progressive Christian group Faith in Public Life. Pretty much have to quote from a group like that because statements like this are mostly otherwise ignored by cable news and the rest of the media — the same media who eagerly report and repeat every utterance from the religious right.

I’ve searched Google News for an article about this statement, or for a photo. Nothing. Nada. There is the video above, with a grand total of 38 views, posted by the group itself.

Fred expresses consternation that the mainstream media is ignoring this statement, noting that these leaders (including several of my friends, like Tony Campolo and Brian McLaren), represent 45 million Americans.

He ends by asking, “Why isn’t this ‘newsworthy’?”

Well, Fred, it’s not newsworthy because it’s not interesting. It’s boring. I mean, seriously, just watch the video.

That doesn’t mean it’s not important. But importance doesn’t translate to newsworthy. Just ask Neil Postman.

And not that there’s anything wrong with boring. Lots of things that we do every day are boring, and un-newsworthy. But this was meant to be newsworthy, and it wasn’t.

If a few dozen evangelicals meet on a Texas ranch to decide whether Mitt Romney is a real Christian, you can bet there’ll be news choppers circling overhead.

Liberals are boring because they’re predictable, and predictable isn’t newsworthy. Also, liberals tend to be more nice, civil, and genteel. Those qualities, also, don’t work well on the nightly news.

So, fellow progressives, I ask you to be interesting, then you’ll be newsworthy.