The balloon boy story had it all: a strong human interest story, a mystery, great video, and a touch of voyeurism. It lacked only two important elements. It wasn’t true, and it wasn’t really about anything important in the broader scheme of things. In other words, it was exactly the kind of story television news loves. The story that’s hardly being covered at all is the tragedy that’s befalling millions of kids as the economy continues to struggle and millions fall into poverty and despair.
