No, I don't know exactly what happened. But they sure as the dicken's don't. Pardon me while I go on a not so mild mannered rant. I'm a reporter, so getting things right is very, very important to me. You can laugh if you want, but most reporters have integrity. Getting it right is vital. Some don't. Thank God they are a minority, but they do seem to get all the attention.
Because those that don't care if they get it right as long as they get it fast and first do get the attention, most people believe all reporters are like that. We aren't. And those Others make Our job harder.
I'm not so silly as to beleive a certain radio station in Memphis that is somewhere on the dial between, oh, say 102 and 104, purports to have anything remotely close to journalism as its purpose. It is about entertainment and ratings. I get that. I really do.
Today the entertainment and derision was at the expense of the good people that live in my home town of Blytheville, Arkansas. Those that are on the morning talk show thought an incident of the police tazing someone was a more than hilarious. They didn't bother to deal in the truth of the incident or consider that those people they were making fun of are real people with real families.
Blytheville isn't a perfect city, and our people aren't perfect. From my own personal experience, I would say that Memphis is a long, long way from reaching perfection themselves.
The fact is, there just wasn't anything funny about what happened, and making fun of the incident wasn't in the best interest of anyone. Not the victim, not the officers, not the city. Except perhaps by stretching and reshaping the truth for ratings for station in another state, for people who have no concern about the people who live Around Here.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Getting It Right
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Well said.
Thats true. You can read on Topix.com and see how truely rude and heartless people of our town can be. They don't care who they hurt and how by spreading rumors for the laywers, hairdressers to the BPD. Just venture into forums its almost the darkside.
Kudos to you for your rant, you are absolutely right. I agree this situation was not funny but very serious. I see it as another black eye for Blytheville & its police department. With all the injustice being served up today this is just another example of what's on the menu.
Post a Comment