Going to the dogs

Did you hear that Michael Vick was indicted in a dog fighting ring? How about (insert lurid detail here)!???!?!?!

The op/ed and sports columnists are having a field day riding their high horses all over the place with this one. It's an emotionally charged story with a little bit of race relations thrown in. Good sales all around.

But wait, with all of the news scandals (Iraq, Vick, Va. Tech, Congress, corporate backdating, steroids in sports, Big Tobacco, Big Pharma, Big Oil) newspaper subscription rates are down. My theory is this:

I already knew dog fighting is wrong.

If I'm paying for good journalism, I want to know the following:
1. How do people get involved in dog fighting?
2. What is the appeal in this "sport"?
3. Where is the righteous indignation about cock fighting? And why is the University of South Carolina not being asked to change its "Gamecocks" mascot?
4. Why did the Falcons let their 2nd string QB go to the Texans for a 2nd round draft pick when Federal charges were being considered for the first string QB?

Instead, I get a bunch of stories and columns about gruesome details and pontification about how bad this is and Vick should be punished. Duh....

By the way, I don't think coverage of this story smacks of racism. When everyone was doing the same bad journalism when the Chris Benoit story broke, no one said this was because he was white and Canadian. Ditto with Ken Lay, Jason Giambi, Congress, the Iraq war, corporate backdating......

Addendum- Rev. Al Sharpton is now involved. Does he just sit around the bat cave by the bat phone waiting for injustice to occur so he can call a press conference? Can't dogs get a better advocate than the always available Rev. Al?