Poise Under Fire?!

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“Poise under fire.”  Those are the words Al Roker used a few days ago to describe the actions of the subject of what NBC billed as a Today Show Exclusive!! 

Did someone pull a drowning child from the ocean?  Did a soldier single handedly take on a band of insurgents to save the lives of his buddies?  No, Miss South Florida Fair walked on stage with lipstick on her butt. 

Are you kidding me?!?!  The banner headline at the bottom of the page read, “Today Show Exclusive:  Lipstick attack at beauty contest.”   Apparently Jessica Wittenbrink (who won the contest anyway) discovered lipstick streaks on her dress right before she was supposed to wear it onto the stage!  OH MY GOD, THE HORROR!  Police were called!  Other contestants were questioned!   Oh, the humanity!  Said Jessica: “I knew that despite the stains on my dress, I had to put my game face on.”  I’m tearing up at this display of bravery.

Note to NBC:  If you want to people to take the word “exclusive” seriously, try reporting a story that other networks might actually be interested in broadcasting.