Good Night, and Rotsa Ruck

The reviews are in for Katie Couric's debut as anchor of the "CBS Evening News."

Alessandra Stanley of The New York Times concluded that Katie handled her inaugural nightly news broadcast "calmly and competently," but The Washington Post's Tom Shales was underwhelmed:

"Gettin' real folksy with viewers, Couric asked them to send in suggestions on how she should sign off the newscast. There was a montage of sign-offs from the past -- including Edward R. Murrow's immortal 'Good night, and good luck,' even though Murrow never anchored the evening news.

"Some people will say that including the image of Murrow on such a frothy, funsy broadcast as the Couric premiere was sacrilege, and that Murrow is spinning in his grave. In fact, if Murrow were going to spin in his grave, he would have started long ago, when 'infotainment' first appeared on the TV horizon and newscasters became pop personalities akin to movie stars and actors appearing in sitcoms. Murrow must be all spun out by now."

Don't cry too much for the sorry absurdity of TV news. It's been moribund ever since the people reading the TelePrompTer became as newsworthy as what they were reading.