I'm like everybody else trying to figure out the rash of violence onboard airplanes in the news recently.

I started to wonder if it's not starting in the gatehouse.

I know in Atlanta, when you're sitting at the gate, it's almost impossible not to watch or listen to the CNN broadcast on the overhead screens. Some people love it, some people don't. I think it might be unnecessarily divisive just prior to takeoff.

Regardless of the politics of our passengers or which news outlet each airport chooses to air, there is a general consensus the news media has become significantly more partisan and polarizing than it ever has been. (Probably not something that is going to help right before you stuff 200 people into a metal tube).

My question is this: why are we subjecting our passengers to material that is at least going to be objectionable to half of them and at worst be potentially the first link in a chain leading to an incident of cabin rage once they get on the airplane?

Is there something else we could replace media programming with that would help passengers start their journey in a better frame of mind than divisive politics?

I suggest reruns of Baywatch, but am open to other (apolitical) ideas.