The "Disturbing Speech of the Day"

Well, I hope Ted Turner never speaks at my birthday party. The mind behind CNN, which turned 25 this week, said in a speech yesterday that the networks needs to cover more international and environmental news, not "the pervert of the day."

Turner, an outspoken media mogul who started CNN in 1980 but no longer controls the network, said he envisioned CNN as a place where rapes and murders that dominated local news wouldn't be emphasized, but he's seeing too much of that "trivial news" on the network he created, now second in ratings to Fox News Channel.

"I would like to see us to return to a little more international coverage on the domestic feed and a little more environmental coverage, and, maybe, maybe a little less of the pervert of the day," he said in a speech to CNN employees outside the old Atlanta mansion where the network first aired.

"You know, we have a lot of perverts on today, and I know that, but is that really news? I mean, come on. I guess you've got to cover Michael Jackson, but not three stories about perversion that we do every day as well."

Source: AP via Yahoo!

While I agree with Ted's underlying principle here, I wonder if a celebration of this historic network's silver anniversary could have been a little more positive and upbeat. But, we all know Ted is Ted. After all, later in his remarks, he claimed to have had a significant role in ending the cold war. Well, Mr. Turner, on behalf of a grateful nation, I thank you.