Balloon Boy a Hoax?

It seems depressingly possible that Balloon Boy was a hoax dreamed up by a family with an uncommon appetite for appearing on television (the parents have been on the reality show "Wife Swap." Twice). But whether or not the drama was staged, it certainly served as a perfect metaphor for cable news: America spent hours riveted by a powerful and gripping story that turned out to be totally meaningless, and will have no significant impact on anybody's lives going forward.

Photo credit: AP Photo/Ed Andrieski.