How and why trivia holds our attention

Why is it that small stories always make the news?

Over at Politico John Harris writes that

Important stories, sometimes the product of months of serious reporting, that in an earlier era would have captured the attention of the entire political-media community and even redirected the course of a presidential campaign, these days can disappear with barely a whisper.

whereas

Trivial stories — the kind that are tailor-made for forwarding to your brother-in-law or college roommate with a wisecracking note at the top — can dominate the campaign narrative for days.

I think the answer is quite simple.It's our culture,it's our yearning for celebratory and its our small attention span in the era of multiplicity of outlets and information.

John cites

This weekend’s uproar over Hillary Rodham Clinton invoking the assassination of Robert Kennedy as rationale for continuing her presidential campaign is an especially vivid example of modern journalism as hyperkinetic child — overstimulated by speed and hunger for a head-turning angle that will draw an audience

But if you want a Uk example look no further than the coverage of Cherie Blair and her spat with Alsitair Campbell over the weekend at Hay on Wye