Was the media coverage of last week’s Justin Bieber arrest in Florida for DUI overkill? CNN’s “Reliable Sources” explored that question. The program noted that NBC’s Andrea Mitchell halted an interview with: “Congresswoman, let me interrupt you just for a moment. We’ve got some breaking news out of Miami…Right now, in Miami, Justin Bieber has been arrested on a number of charges. The judge is reading the charges including resisting arrest and driving under the influence. ” On the other end of the spectrum, the new cable channel Fusion called it “insignificant breaking news.”
Dorsey Shaw of Buzzfeed said that among cable networks, “it seemed like FOX News kind of covered it’s right amount of proportion. You know, they covered it with minute little hits like kind of teasing segments that seemed to never come…CNN definitely led the charge.” “Reliable Sources” host Brian Stelter said, “It’s a big story. You know, he’s a big celebrity. People either love him or hate him. And if you’re a producer for a TV show, front page editor for a website or social media editor, you have to know that people are going to be interested in this story either way. So you’re going to go with it.”