As we noted earlier, some conservative media critics are falsely attacking the press by suggesting the unfolding Mississippi flood story has not been covered sufficiently. The charge is comical, considering CNN alone has aired more than 100 flood reports in the last week. (Way to downplay it, CNN.)

But what's interesting is that if you look at Fox News' emphasis this week, you discover that at times it seemed just as committed to covering the faux controversy about the rapper known as Common visiting the White House as the news channel was to reporting on the devastation facing the American South.

According to TVeyes.com, for all of Wednesday and up until noon today, “Mississippi” was mentioned in approximately 50 segments that aired on Fox, while “rapper” was mentioned in more than 40. Which means for those making decisions about news coverage at Fox, a rapper's White House visit was basically just as important as the historic flooding unfolding along the Mississippi.

By contrast, at CNN over the same time span this week, “Mississippi” was mentioned in approximately 90 on-air segments, while “rapper” was referenced about ten times.

This just highlights how when Fox News chases bogus stories like the Common one, real news gets shortchanged.