Balloon Boy and Visual Culture

I am doing another post since I was sick last week and didn't post.

I know, I know. Balloon Boy is old news now. Still, any time someone brings him up, I can't help but wonder why every major news network, including CNN (which is supposed to be a pretty legitimate news source) fell for this hoax. Reading Mirzoeff's "the Subject of Visual Culture" has finally given me some insight into how the news networks let America (and maybe the world) stare at an empty balloon for hours. The image of the balloon hurtling through the air makes good news. The audience watched the balloon in horror, wondering if the boy would fall out, if rescue teams would catch the boy.... Would the balloon make a safe landing or crash? Would the boy live? If the story were different- if the boy were perhaps lost in the woods or stuck in a tree, it is doubtful that this would have been national news because such stories would not make such a terrific visual impact on the audience. So many people get lost or hurt or killed every day but it seems that the ones that make a national news level often have some sort of visual impact.