Insana: Jackson's Death Obscured the News

This post appeared earlier today on RealMoney. Click here for a free trial, and enjoy incisive commentary all day, every day.

Like most Americans, particularly those of us who grew up in the 1960s and '70s, I was saddened to learn of the passing of Michael Jackson, a tortured musical genius who, like many famous artists, had everything yet nothing at the same time.

Mourning a national musical icon is appropriate and has its place among the week's headlines. Obsessing over the movement of a corpse by helicopter and then by a plain white van, though, may have obscured the issues of the day that affect us in other ways.

But the 24/7 coverage continued, and trust me, I understand why it's of great interest. I have worked in the media business for 25 years now. And while I cannot and should not criticize the mainstream media for its constant coverage of all things Jackson, the headlines that affected investors most were relegated to television's back pages, if you will. ...