Magician may need eye patch for blindness?

This entertainment story could have value - if it actually happened.

The story focuses on the possibility of famous magician David Blaine going blind in his next dangerous stunt, but nothing has actually happened. The story's greatest weakness is that it lacks newsworthiness. David Blaine attempting dangerous feats is nothing new. He's jeopardized his life enough that the public expects it from him.

If the author of this story had focused on the fact that it might "yield valuable data for doctors," as it mentions in the last line, the story could have had some value to the public. Instead, this fact is briefly mentioned and does not detail exactly what data doctors are looking for. In addition to this, the doctors are completely unsure of the side effects and don't even have an estimation of how long Blaine's possible blindness could last.

To improve this story, the author could have spoken to other experts to obtain an estimation or reinforce these ideas. The story lacks substance, but a little more research made have made it slightly worthwhile.

Link: http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/09/21/david.blaine.ap/index.html