Might as well be Chelsea

I don’t begrudge Chelsea Clinton her new gig at NBC News. Yes, she has no resume, but when you’re the kid of a former president it’s expected that allowances will be made. And it’s not like she’s taking the job away from a real journalist. No working journalist was going get a shot at a gauzy thing like “Making a Difference” – although I can think of several who would have jumped on it. It’s not exactly Bob Woodward territory, but it’s got to be a lot better than handling PR for some mid-size nonprofit.

Which is the fate of all working journalists, sooner or later, if they don’t have A-list connections. If there’s anything to complain about, it’s just the way Chelsea’s hire coincides with the continuing de-hiring of folks who were once paid to gather and make sense of news. It’s kind of an old story now: our limitless appetite for thumb-sucker pieces and anything about celebrities, and our growing impatience with any kind of development that can’t be reported in 140 words. And when I say “our,” I mean “your.”

Oops, slipped into Andy Rooney mode there for a moment. Next thing you know, I’ll be railing about new-fangled gizmos I can’t quite figure out. For now, though, I’m willing to give Chelsea Clinton the benefit of the doubt. Now that all the remaining journalists are out in the street staring at their iPhones, somebody’s got to play a reporter. Better her than Kim Kardashian.