By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
OCT. 11, 2022 | A few years back, we stopped looking at local TV news, except primarily to see if it was going to rain the next day. (Though the weathermen sometimes get it wrong on the rain, they can pinpoint storms better than ever, and they help keep us safe.)
The reason we stopped looking at the nightly local news was that local TV news has deteriorated to mainly blood and guts, shootings, and ambulance chasing. Why bother with such bloodlettings? Is such real, solid reporting?
It is cheaper for the television stations to give us this sort of “news” than it was to pay a solid investigative reporter to spend several days on a story of “real” news, that is, trying to crack political shenanigans at the state or county level. Instead they filled their space with far less important rampages.
Unfortunately, now this blood-and-guts journalism has successfully penetrated the Atlanta newspaper field, too. On a typical day you might see these headlines grouped together with not much else for local news:
“Man arrested, two others sought in fatal shooting outside barbershop.”
“Man shot to death at home near high school.”
“Cops: stabbed man was attacker with hammer.”
“Harsher penalties on street racing enacted.”
The headlines above are all from one day. On other days, more headlines:
“Argument leaves one dead at apartments.”
“Jealous boyfriend will spend life in prison.”
“Gunfire at basketball game kills teen boy.”
“Police investigating two fatal double shootings.”
“Cops: Man shot multiple times dies at home.”
“Police seek suspects in shooting near eatery.”
“Suspect charged after woman shot dead.”
And though we didn’t find it, remember that story of a minister’s wife who was killed in the middle of the night when a stray bullet went through their bed’s headboard and lodged in her head.
But the point is: Is this what the newspaper considers quality news? Do we need all those shootings reported? Why not hire solid newspaper-people (not just-starting-out interns) and provide us with real, in depth, news, allowing the newspaper to do its job better?
Realize that the common factor in these headlines is guns. All this reporting emphasizes the big problem our country has with guns. No other civilized nation has such a gun problem as the United States. No other country would put up with such uncivilized behavior.
And we lay much of the mayhem, havoc, bedlam and approaching anarchy at the doorstep of the National Rifle Association. This organization works to allow this type of behavior when it opposes any form of gun control legislation.
Most Americans, this corner too, understand the Second Amendment about the right of individuals to bear arms. But we think the interpretation of this amendment should not allow assault weapons of any kind, and should be limited primarily to simple pistols, rifles and shotguns….but not bazookas, AK-47 and similar rapid fire guns. How the NRA can support this….in the midst of the many shootings, is impossible to understand.
Maybe someday our elected officials will adopt a sane policy toward guns. It could lead to fewer shootings and death, and be a path to really make our country safe to live in. Perhaps that would allow the TV stations, and newspapers, too, to get back to giving us solid news again.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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