The other night, Chicago's WGN broadcasted a news segment on video games, comparing them to drugs. Gamers, of course, are up in arms over the piece. Likewise, we were pretty upset it. More importantly, the thing that irked us the most was the shoddy journalism that supports it. Here's a breakdown of the tangled web WGN weaved.

During the teaser, both newscasters throw out these sensationalistic quotes: "The new drug of choice for kids" and "You can find it in any living room across the country." Attention grabbers, a standard journo trick. These blurbs only become problematic when WGN isn't able to back up these claims. Or worse, refutes them themselves.

The actual segment appears in WGN's "Medical Watch." The intro once again has the two newscaster expanded upon their previous comments. This time, they say, "It's the new drug for kids, and experts say it's being used right in front of parents." Who are these experts? And what are they talking about? Video games. Scary stuff, indeed. Scarier in that video games aren't new.

Journalists usually want something to peg their news to. For example, if you are writing an article on Brad Pitt, it should be connected to his new movie. The news needs to be relevant. Calling video games a "new drug" isn't only preposterous, but irrelevant. If it were 1978, maaaybe WGN would have a hook to hang their hat. But it's not, and they don't.

Medical reporter Dina Bair tells us, "It's a stimulant. It's highly addictive. It's causing kids to forget about their friends, ignore their schoolwork and become impulsive and hot tempered." Okay, we're getting to the basis of their argument: games are bad. Now let's see some data to back that up. Instead, we get this quote: "It's not an actual drug." Right here, WGN undermines their own scare-mongering, but qualifies themselves by adding "Doctors say it works just like one (a drug)." Once again, no scientific or medical data to back this up.

Cut to shots of gamers playing their PS2. Their eyes are focused and intense, while the poor dog stands by, unloved. Dina tells us that since they are playing video games, their hands are occupied and unable to pet the pooch. Of course, if they were simply watching TV, then they could pet the dog all day long. Intersperse this will a quip from the gamers' mother.

All that is missing is an expert. Robert Kauffman from the American Institute of Cognitive Learning and Development talks about how kids act out more and don't think about what they are doing. Video games are singled out. Keep in mind that WGN's expert is not a doctor, but a clinical social worker. The news-station didn't not interview a single physician for this "Medical Watch" segment.

Continuing, Dina says, "video games transform fun-loving family focused children" through "adrenaline." What does she mean by adrenaline? Well, you know "stimulated by the speed, the sex and the violence in the games." Movies apparently contain none of these, while video games are chocked full. Mr. Kauffman offers his expert opinion by saying we are getting children addicted to their own adrenaline in a rather simplistic explanation.

The piece ends on an oddly different note, saying games shouldn't be banned, but play time should be limited for children. Homework first, gaming later. Few gamers should have a problem with that. It's common sense. Dina wraps up by pointing out that doctors recommend taking an active role in their children's lives. This of course is peppered with an entirely inappropriate "unplug the drug" line from Dina.

Not all mainstream media is as slack or biased. Take CBS for example. Here's a major network that has brought in guys like William Vitka to cover games intelligently. Among others, MTV leaps to mind as providing balanced reporting. It's time for other broadcast outlets to realize that video games are more than just a default setting to drum-up ratings on a slow news day.

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