A quick glance at newsstands and TV schedules confirms that consumers have an insatiable appetite for celebrities and human-interest stories. News coverage of the controversial Iranian elections and street protests had begun to die down until the murder of a pretty 20-something woman, Neda, was caught on camera and video and broadcast worldwide, putting a captivating and tragic face on the events. News and social networking traffic sparked. Then Michael Jackson died and the world’s media suddenly switched gears. The news of the King of Pop’s shocking end triggered massive surges in both traditional media and new media traffic. Security and media analysts were concerned that the sudden loss of attention could give Iranian authorities the chance to crack down more heavily on opposition.

While news pros have always known that a story plays better when given a personal focus, has celebrity culture ever been so dominant? Maybe the easy, immediate access to breaking news amplifies our desire for it. But across the board, in print, on TV and online, celebrities sell.

Is dumbing down a global issue?  Looking outside the English-speaking world in which News Corporation’s influence and commercial sensibility is so strongly felt, the dumbing down of news is less pronounced. It’s striking that even the most downmarket, mass-appeal titles in continental Europe feel far more subdued than their counterparts in the U.S. or the U.K.

Are consumers in those countries really less interested in pictures of pouting celebrities or stories of sexual shenanigans and greedy executives? What about school shootings, swine flu, serial killers and terrorists (all serious subjects yet ripe for screaming tabloid headlines)?  Or is it that “serious” news is still taken more seriously in countries that have a history of authoritarian government (Germany, Italy, Spain, former Communist countries)?