The song is about the callousness of TV news reporting as well as the tabloidization of all news. Henley sings from the standpoint of a news anchorman who "could have been an actor, but I wound up here", and thus is not a real journalist. The song's theme is that TV news coverage focuses too much on negative and sensationalist news; in particular, deaths, disasters, and scandals, with little regard to the consequences or for what is important. The song was inspired by the intrusive press coverage surrounding the deaths of John Belushi and Natalie Wood, and Henley's own arrest in 1980 when he was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor and possession of marijuana, cocaine, and Quaaludes after paramedics treated a 16-year-old female prostitute who was subsequently suffering from drug intoxication at his Los Angeles home. Among the musicians on the record were Timothy B. Schmit and Joe Walsh, two of Henley's bandmates of the Eagles. Walsh performs the first guitar solo, followed by Steve Lukather of the bandToto; the guitar basic tracks are played by Danny Kortchmar who also helped Henley compose this song. Jeff Porcaro plays the drums on this track. The sleeve notes also mention these musicians: George Gruel, Roger Linn and Steve Porcaro.
During the 1994 reformation of Eagles, Glenn Frey suggested that the entire band perform this and other solo hits of Henley's, stating that he liked them and despite differences the band had had over the years, they admired Henley's solo work. During the performances of Frey and Henley's solo songs, Eagles' touring drummer Scott F. Crago, handles most of the drumming duties. In the Eagles' Farewell 1 Tour-Live from Melbourne concert DVD, Henley dedicated this song "to Mr. Rupert Murdoch"; in many live performances, this dedication remains, but sometimes is changed "to Mr. Bill O'Reilly". During the 1995 part of the Hell Freezes Over tour, Henley changed "tell you about the plane crash" to "tell you about the OJ", referencing the ongoing OJ Simpson trial. The song was performed on the Eagles' Long Road Out of Eden tour in 2008-2012 as well as the band's History of the Eagles tour. During the song, a background video shows, among other things, clips from The O'Reilly Factor, Glenn Beck, and The Jerry Springer Show.
