Do I Know You?

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson's son doubles down on anti-vaccine stance.

If Chester Hanks is well-known enough to have headlines written about him, one would think that he would be well-known enough that his name could be used in those headlines. But such is the way of things; Mr. Hanks and Mrs. Wilson are enough of a draw to entice people to click in the hopes of some juicy family drama; where the Chester Hanks is not.

It's often said that the news media acts to distract the public away from the pressing things that require their attention. But while it's possible to make the case that providing news should be a public service, I don't know if the case can me made that providing news should be an act of charity. Journalists have to eat, just like everyone else, and principles are inedible. And so headlines about the celebrity-adjacent trade in the names that are well-known, as people are more likely to click through and see the advertising that comes with the story.

And to be sure, it's likely a trivial story. (No, I didn't bother to actually read it. Why do you ask?) Chester Hanks is an actor, musician and son of a famous person. He's not a policymaker, executive or an advisor to same. He's just a guy who has decided that he doesn't care for vaccination. So what else is new?