Actor Heath Ledger's Death Stirs Feeding Frenzy

Tabloid journalism raised its ugly head last night in a determined effort to smear the name and life of a talented young actor who died tragically and without warning. Even I was amazed at the number of so-called journalists and supposed "seekers of the truth" who bent over backward trying to find evidence that would forever brand Heath Ledger a "drug abuser." It was the most appalling display of sharks circling in a feeding frenzy.

What happened to the old adage "innocent until proven guilty?" It certainly seems to have gotten lost by the wayside. Every channel I turned to was dedicated to proving that Ledger was abusing drugs; even if they had to invent the proof along the way. His reputation be damned! His family be damned! All they cared about was the story and it certainly couldn't be a boring one.

It is, of course, possible that medical reports will prove that Ledger was taking something out of the ordinary. He admitted to friends and family that he was having trouble sleeping. He also admitted that his latest acting role as The Joker in the upcoming Batman film was occupying too much of his energy and strength. Reports also indicated that the actor was suffering from a bronchial condition, possibly pneumonia.

Any or all of those conditions could explain the number of medications that the police found at the actor's apartment. However, there appeared to be no evidence that he might have committed suicide. The police repeatedly told reporters that there was no evidence of foul play or that a crime had been committed. However, that was obviously not what they wanted to hear.

When the so-called journalists couldn't readily pin a suicide rap on the actor, they switched to trying to prove that he was involved in hard core drugs. Interviews with close friends assuring them that such action was unlikely, led them to dredge up recent interviewers who were willing to say that the actor "acted jumpy" or "out of the ordinary" during recent interviews.