Is this deemed national news?
The One Eyed Weasel
16-08-2008, 05:00
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/08/15/shaken.baby/index.html
I stumbled across this article today while I was looking at the weather on my phone, so I just finally read it in detail. Granted, it is pretty horrible act on the father's part, but should this coverage be justified?
Should a national news source focus on just one child that is the victim of shaken baby syndrome, only because they were (supposedly) the first born of the new year?
It does raise awareness, but why pick this family's life apart even more for the sake of raising awareness when there are much better means?
Please, discuss!
South Lorenya
16-08-2008, 06:15
Is it news? Yes.
Is it front-page news? Probably not.
Keep in mind that for some ridiculous reason, media treats news stories as more improtant if they invovle celebrities -- and the bigger the celebrity, the more important it is. If John Q. Randomperson gets into a car crash (and survives with no injuries or legal problems), then it's not even mentioned (save for local newspapers). But if one of Bush's daughters was involved in said crash, apparently it's suddenly big news. Raising it up a notch, if *BUSH* was involved in the accident then (despite no injuries or litigation) it's suddenly the day's #1 headline.
Dinaverg
16-08-2008, 07:13
The day's? for Bush? It's the Annual celebration.
The Pictish Revival
16-08-2008, 08:53
It does raise awareness, but why pick this family's life apart even more for the sake of raising awareness when there are much better means?
Father accused of murdering his own baby. Sounds like news to me. If the story happens to raise awareness of an important issue, that's a bonus.
South Lorenya
16-08-2008, 20:05
Ever hear of Robert Michael Bednarski? No? Didn't think so. I wouldn't have either, except one of the people I know is his nephew. Long story short, he had two babies declared dead by SIDS. That's odds of about 1 in 4 million. The police investigated, and now he's charged with murder.
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2003/07/25/loc_kyfather25.html
So "father kills child" doesn't always make major news -- even if it's two children.
Xenophobialand
16-08-2008, 20:14
Is it news? Yes.
Is it front-page news? Probably not.
Keep in mind that for some ridiculous reason, media treats news stories as more improtant if they invovle celebrities -- and the bigger the celebrity, the more important it is. If John Q. Randomperson gets into a car crash (and survives with no injuries or legal problems), then it's not even mentioned (save for local newspapers). But if one of Bush's daughters was involved in said crash, apparently it's suddenly big news. Raising it up a notch, if *BUSH* was involved in the accident then (despite no injuries or litigation) it's suddenly the day's #1 headline.
Case in point (http://www.theonion.com/content/video/beyonce_unhurt_after_stray_bullet).
Ashmoria
16-08-2008, 20:18
it needs to be in the news.
stupid people cant be told often enough that shaking a baby can kill it.
Conserative Morality
16-08-2008, 20:27
It's news. Front page might've been pushing it though.
South Lorenya
17-08-2008, 04:21
Ironically, some people don't realize that The Onion is a fake news site...
The Pictish Revival
17-08-2008, 11:28
So "father kills child" doesn't always make major news -- even if it's two children.
The point is not that 'father kills child' is always considered major news, the point is that it should be.
corporate media would rather give you two headed cows then tell you anything that would actually be remotely useful to know. that's why its called infotainment.
In many species in the animal kingdom males will kill the offspring while its still very young (even thier own) to get the females to go into heat once more. Maybe thats the reasoning behind this... in which case we could argue that he's an animal and not a human and so could be humanely euthanised without trial?
Johnny B Goode
17-08-2008, 16:29
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/08/15/shaken.baby/index.html
I stumbled across this article today while I was looking at the weather on my phone, so I just finally read it in detail. Granted, it is pretty horrible act on the father's part, but should this coverage be justified?
Should a national news source focus on just one child that is the victim of shaken baby syndrome, only because they were (supposedly) the first born of the new year?
It does raise awareness, but why pick this family's life apart even more for the sake of raising awareness when there are much better means?
Please, discuss!
News. But they shouldn't do a double standard on this, if they are.