Balance bad news with good news
Matt Chiaramonte
Issue date: 3/2/09 Section: Opinion
Man murders wife and children. Two killed and one injured in shooting. These are the kinds of stories we have come to associate with news.
Why? What is the purpose of continuously making murder the most important and sensational part of every news outlet? What does it accomplish?
Surely, no one is surprised to find out murders are taking place. There aren't people who say, "Oh my god, I can't believe that someone was murdered. Thank goodness the newsman told me. Now I am going to completely change how I live my life." It is definitely not done to honor or show remorse for the victims and their families. Families of murder victims aren't TiVoing the news so they can go back and reminisce about their tragedies later.
It's not that violence and crime shouldn't be reported. Anything that can be done to help deter more violence is a good thing. But how did it become the lead story?
There are much more important things going on that could receive more attention. It shouldn't sound far-fetched to hear a newscaster say, "Welcome to the 9:00 news. Today's lead story: 450 students from Townersville High School graduated today. They were all accepted into college and have promising futures." I guarantee that if some whack-job stabbed his mistress on the same day, those kids from Townersville would get the boot. Why is that more important? One story inspires and gives pride to the citizens of Townersville, and one just depresses everybody.
There has also been a lot of criticism concerning the amount of gossip and entertainment news that has gone mainstream. Who cares? Who can honestly say that they would rather hear about murders than a celebrity breakdown? Neither of them is news, but at least the gossip can entertain you.
A column in the Feb. 25 issue of Western Courier Edge section titled "Where's the news?" attacked "The Nancy Grace Show" for not reporting the real news and focusing on celebrity gossip. It may not be intellectually stimulating, but it beats video footage of body bags being wheeled out of a suburban home.
I am not saying that we should be sheltered from reality or that we should be naive enough to not realize that murder is a real problem. I think at this point, we have a good handle on the dangers of the world, and we don't need to constantly be reminded of them, and they shouldn't be used to boost ratings. Maybe it is Hollywood's fault, but somehow murder has become a juicier story than the less-than-stimulating coverage of the stimulus package.
The news shouldn't always depress people. Sometimes, it should cheer them up, but I doubt the news agencies will change.
Why? What is the purpose of continuously making murder the most important and sensational part of every news outlet? What does it accomplish?
Surely, no one is surprised to find out murders are taking place. There aren't people who say, "Oh my god, I can't believe that someone was murdered. Thank goodness the newsman told me. Now I am going to completely change how I live my life." It is definitely not done to honor or show remorse for the victims and their families. Families of murder victims aren't TiVoing the news so they can go back and reminisce about their tragedies later.
It's not that violence and crime shouldn't be reported. Anything that can be done to help deter more violence is a good thing. But how did it become the lead story?
There are much more important things going on that could receive more attention. It shouldn't sound far-fetched to hear a newscaster say, "Welcome to the 9:00 news. Today's lead story: 450 students from Townersville High School graduated today. They were all accepted into college and have promising futures." I guarantee that if some whack-job stabbed his mistress on the same day, those kids from Townersville would get the boot. Why is that more important? One story inspires and gives pride to the citizens of Townersville, and one just depresses everybody.
There has also been a lot of criticism concerning the amount of gossip and entertainment news that has gone mainstream. Who cares? Who can honestly say that they would rather hear about murders than a celebrity breakdown? Neither of them is news, but at least the gossip can entertain you.
A column in the Feb. 25 issue of Western Courier Edge section titled "Where's the news?" attacked "The Nancy Grace Show" for not reporting the real news and focusing on celebrity gossip. It may not be intellectually stimulating, but it beats video footage of body bags being wheeled out of a suburban home.
I am not saying that we should be sheltered from reality or that we should be naive enough to not realize that murder is a real problem. I think at this point, we have a good handle on the dangers of the world, and we don't need to constantly be reminded of them, and they shouldn't be used to boost ratings. Maybe it is Hollywood's fault, but somehow murder has become a juicier story than the less-than-stimulating coverage of the stimulus package.
The news shouldn't always depress people. Sometimes, it should cheer them up, but I doubt the news agencies will change.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
brack
posted 3/02/09 @ 9:03 PM CST
Thanks Matt for expressing this sentiment. I too would love to hear the words, "Neighbor saves neighbor from robbery" or "Teenager Carves out 10 minutes a day for elderly" But for now, the bads takes centerstage at the major news orgs. (Continued…)
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