Awhile ago my work-wife and I were sitting in my office talking about the latest media abomination, I think it was the husband who killed his wife and baby and fled across the pond. My boss, who is a writer, btw, was talking about how that's not journalism, it's sensationalism or some such thing, and basically that it's crap that we don't need. It is not, in fact, news.
A lot of people put this kind of media under the "we have the right to know, and we should know" type category, including me. But now, a couple of weeks later, I think is that really true? Do I really really need to know about this woman who killed her pastor husband? Is she on a killing rampage? Is she a true threat to society or just, obviously, to her deceased husband? Do I really need to hear day after day after day about all of the senseless acts of violence in this country? What is it accomplishing? Is it motivating anyone to change it? Is it motivating you? Or is it, in fact, glorifying the violence?
Someone please explain to me why I needed to know so many details about the Lacy Peterson murder? And the trial? Why don't I get these same types of details and sensationalism about other murders...people die senselessly every day in this country, how does the media choose which stories they are going to beat us down with? Are we so horrible now that we truly do feed on the sensationalism of a mother who kills her 4 children? Is it limited to family murders and child murders? WHY on EARTH do I want to read about that. How is this benefitting or protecting my life, liberty and pursuit of happiness? Or society's? What justice moral or otherwise does splashing Lacy Peterson's face on every magazine and newspaper truly serve? Awareness? Of WHAT?!?!?! Awareness that there is domestic violence? Tell me something I don't know. (and I'm not trying to sound unsympathetic when I say that, like it's not terrible and I don't care, I'm just pointing out that I knew about domestic violence BEFORE the media blitz) Awareness that husbands kill their wives? Awareness that Scott Peterson is truly a horrible stark-raving lunatic? Am I supposed to be learning something about this type of person that will what? someday keep me from crossing their path? RIGHT. The answer is it does NOTHING for me, nothing for my life, nothing to keep me safe or warn me about anything. It's not news.
I've stopped reading the paper. I turn on the news in the morning for the weather, traffic and sports updates and then, I'm done with it. I've been done with it for a long time. Are we getting crazier and more violent in this country? I don't think so, I just think that the media is making it more public.
I'm tired. So very tired of hearing all of this. I'm tired of spouses solving their marital problems by killing one another. And my kids overhearing it on the news, or seeing it on the front page of the paper. What are we communicating to our children?
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9 comments:
I do agree. I have also stopped watching or reading most news. I even get my weather details by just going to weather.com
I mean really how do they choose who gets fame from murder and who doesn't. That's what we are doing by plastering these murders faces all over the media. What use to be 30 seconds of fame is not. Now we are creating eternal fame.
I believe it also just keeps giving other sickos ideas also. They can learn from other mistakes since we put them out there with such detail.
The bottom line is that for the most part, violence sells. You talk about actual news but how many crime dramas are there on tv? Let's see. CSI, CSI Miami, CSI New York, Law and Order, Law and Order Criminal Intent, Law and Order Special Victims Unit and the list goes on and on. Seriously, what's next, CSI Chesterton? If so, I'll audition. Think about it. Have you noticed the large increase in Child Molestation articles in the paper? Do we really think that there has been a 100% in these types of crimes? I do not. What I do feel is that editors across the country know that this in fact sells news papers and lures people to tune in on the TV. Seriously, in L.A. you can subscribe to a channel that only airs police chases. It's connected to your phone or pager and they alert you to an actual pursuit in progress. You then get your popcorn and beers and turn on the TV.
Frankly, I think it is truely a sad commentary on our society.
Now, about Megan. You only stopped watching the news when you stopped paying for cable. Let's be honest....
Editors note. The above sentance should read, "Do we really think that there have been a 100% increase in these types of crimes?"
The Jimmer deeply regrets the error.
There's a difference, though, in the TV shows that are dramas, "fictional" dramas and the NEWS. Network TV has also made money airing Dallas, Three's Company, The OC, Lost, etc. The NEWS isn't reporting the daily life of co-eds, the private lives of oil men, the private lives of teens in Orange County. Because it's not NEWS, that, too would be sensationalism, or Entertainment Television. That's what CSI is, it's entertainment television, the news is the NEWS. They are supposed to be held to a different standard.
That would be my and many other people's point. What they are reporting isn't news, and they are not living up to my standard of what the news should be. They are reporting DRAMA - only it's the most bastardized form of REALITY drama there is and selling it as NEWS.
I think we are saying the same thing here. My point is that TV is imitating life / news because it SELLS...Sad but true.
But don't you think when someone dies in a murder, it ought to be news? We don't need the details but if the perp is still at large, I would want to know if I was in the immediate area...
I just read the blog again and I want to know, where's the pain? You're crabby and in pain but you do not inform us as to the cause of your pain. If it's female, just ignore the question.
Ok, I'm going to Flan's for a beer.
Ah, the pain. It's my shoulder thing. I'm in physical therapy right now and that always beats the hell out of me.
No, I don't think it ought to be news. Yes, if there's a threat to society, but like I said...is the pastor's wife really a danger to society? Was Scott Peterson? They sensationalize it, it's not news. It's news to that area, but even that's questionable.
Do you not think it's news because there is so much of it going on that it just brings you down?
I have to respectfully disagree with your opinion that Murders are not news....
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