Media Coverage
I’m often very disappointed at media coverage in general. I get so tired of seeing sensational tragedies with an occasional feel good story thrown in. Honestly, I don’t need to know about every missing person, untimely death, etc. There just isn’t time for that.
I realized why when I saw this mornings paper. The Post-Dispatch had a front page store about the mall shooting in Nebraska. Evidently, some angst-ridden teen went on a shooting rampage of some sort at a mall and then killed himself. A subtitle to the story said his suicide note read, “Now I’ll be famous.”
Looks like he got his wish. Consider him a prophet. You see, he probably did some very logical thinking. Let’s take a look at famous young people nowadays shall we?
We are bombarded by media messages glamorizing the lifestyles of people like Brittany Spears, Justin Timberlake and Paris Hilton. Popular music is filled with references to being rich and famous. Unless you are a singer or actor of some sort, you just can’t be famous. You can’t be in the in-crowd without being beautiful, and you have to be there to get to the famous part it seems.
But wait, there are another group of kids who routinely make the paper and take up lots of time on TV. Those are the kids who grab a gun and start shooting people. They become instantly glamorized and their pictures and saddened life is strewn about the news. There are always people crying about how they should have realized and done something.
While I’m extremely sorry for the family and the families of the victims, I’m also completely frustrated at how the media always turns these into a circus. To glamorize people of crime and make them into household names will just encourage others to follow the same path. No, it doesn’t MAKE them go out and do it. Legally I don’t think they are liable. But why show off these terrible tragedies to highly impressionable young people. Growing up is already difficult enough, do we have to show them how they can become famous as well?
I considered linking to the story, but I thought that would defeat the purpose of this. I just hope someday the media will wise up and stop sensationalizing murders and murderers. Do I care that OJ Simpson is back in court, NO. Do I care that Brittany Spears lost custody of her kids, NO.
I tend to get my news online for the purpose of finding news that is relevant to me. Whether or not Brittany has her kids is of no importance to Millions of people in this country. Yet, the media spent hours telling us about this when it really only affects a couple dozen people involved. Give me news that is relevant to ME locally and I’ll support your media.
Maybe it’s time I go ahead and subscribe to PubDef and support something that I actually DO read.
