Not a soccer mom

One of the strangest aspects of the emergency landing made by a Jet Blue airplane in Los Angeles last week was the fact that the passengers on board were following the story of the unfolding crisis on the live TV news provided by the airline. Very much a 21st-century media moment.

As one passenger put it (displaying remarkable grit given what they had been through): “They talk about ‘must-see’ TV. This was more like ‘must-we-see?’ TV.”