For those who wonder why the networks and newspapers are dying, look no further than pseudo-journalists like Rachel Uranga. Her report this week about the LAPD’s recent murder spree reminded me of the biker who saves a girl from being eaten by a lion:

… the lion grabbed her by the cuff of her jacket and tried to pull her inside to slaughter her, under the eyes of her screaming parents.

The biker jumped off his bike, ran to the cage and hit the lion square on the nose with a powerful punch. Whimpering from the pain the lion jumped back and let go of the girl. The biker then took her to her terrified parents, who thanked him endlessly.

A reporter saw the whole scene and, addressing the biker, said, ‘Sir, this was the most gallant and brave thing I saw a man do in my whole life.’

‘Why, it was nothing,’ said the biker, really. The lion was behind bars. I just saw this little kid in danger and reacted the right way.’

‘I noticed a patch on your jacket,’ said the journalist.

‘Yes, I ride with an Israeli motorcycle club,’ the biker replied.

‘Well, I’ll make sure this won’t go unnoticed. I’m a journalist with the Times, and tomorrow’s paper will have this on the front page.’

The following morning the biker bought the paper to see if it indeed brought out the news of his actions. On the front page was the headline:

ISRAELI GANG MEMBER ASSAULTS AFRICAN IMMIGRANT AND STEALS HIS LUNCH

In 1999, Uranga was asked:

Q: What are your future goals?
A: To win the Pulitzer (laughs). Just kidding. I don’t care.
Q: Why not?
A: Because I just really want to be able to do the bigger stories I have in my mind.

Like real cops, REAL journalists report stories – they don’t come to work with stories they have in their minds. But while Rafael Perez (also an affirmative action hire) went to prison for creating stories, Rachel is a rising star at the Daily News.

My friends need not worry about fake journalists like Uranga any longer. The mainstream (aka dinosaur) media (MM) is being replaced by the Internet and cable news. Real journalists, like Daily News alum Michelle Malkin, successfully compete with their former employers. We are no longer forced to rely on Walter Cronkite to tell us “That’s the way it is…” Bloggers forced CBS to dump Cronkite progeny Dan Rather and the NYT is going the way of Air America. We now have choices.

My news sources:

I read the Times and Daily News for free on the Internet and watch/TIVO Fox News from 3-6 PM PST. Although the former rag LA Weekly still hawks vaginal rejuvenation, call girls, and “medical” marijuana, their journalism is usually more solid than LA’s MM.

Besides Malkin, giants like Drudge, Breitbart, or local bloggers like Patterico (a deputy LA County DA) and Mayor Sam provide free alternative stories that would horrify the mainstream mediocrity. And if those outlets are too unsophisticated for you, bona fide geniuses like UCLA Law Professor Eugene Volokh or Townhall columnists like Thomas Sowell are also available, free for the reading. We don’t need Uranga, Rather, or Cronkite – they need us.

So don’t let Uranga or her ilk upset you. She’d never make it on her own, and her employers can’t make it without your monthly subscriptions. And if you need to sell your car or find a puppy, there’s always Craigslist.