From the Department of Could Be Worse News…
BUCHAREST (AFP) – Upbeat news would have to make up half of all newscasts on all of Romania’s radio and television stations, under legislation adopted unanimously Wednesday in the senate.
“News programmes on TV and radio shall contain, in the same proportion, news with positive and negative themes,” states the legislation, which is going to President Traian Basescu for adoption.
[From Equal time for happy news on Romania TV, radio – Yahoo! News]
As Chuck Shepherd notes, the flip side of this bill is that the other half of the news is, by law, required to be negative.
Very funny indeed although I am sure the guy didn’t mean it this way.
If you mean Chuck Shepherd, I bet he did mean it that way – he’s a cynical wise-acre, which is why I love reading his newsletter of oddities.