remember the rest of the world?

I am currently trying to find TV news coverage of the violence in Lebanon today and CNN is covering recently liberated mother and baby humpback whales, a poll of viewers on who the next 'American Idol' should be, and a popular video on YouTube of the "one-legged salsa sensation." While CNN's website has video coverage of the fighting between militants and the armed forces in Tripoli which left over 40 dead and scores injured by the end of the day, the "most watched" video feeds linked from the homepage "Legless Chihuahuas Seek Home," "Father Microwaves Baby," "Making Movies, Making Love" and a video segment on McCain using the f-word to respond to a criticism of his inattention to the immigration issue.

Seems that this is a combination of two things:

1. TV coverage has receded so far behind web-based media in its ability to keep up with news stories that they don't even try to compete, and instead cover "human interest" stories (or, worse, they create stories based on the web itself - see previously mentioned You Tube feature), and - because remember: cnn.com, not the TV news program, is responsible for featuring the legless chihuahua content -
2. American media outlets feel no significant demand from our population to cover news events in the rest of the world - or, arguably, news in any form - because we are perfectly happy to remain ignorant until we are materially affected by such events.

I do not want to make the argument that instability in the Middle East does materially affect us because:

1. ...well...do I have to? Isn't this already abundantly clear? and
2. even if it does not directly impact your life tomorrow, shouldn't you still know what is going on with your fellow humans?