As a 33-year veteran of what is derided as the "Mainstream Media," I feel qualified to offer this criticism. The national media, particularly the broadcast/cable segment, fail to see what is truly important and instead feed viewers their politicized and celebrity-focused version of important events.
That was evident this week when CNN and MSNBC focused exclusively on week-old coverage of the Feb. 14 Parkland, Fla., school shooting. Last week, it was a huge story — a frightening event that scared and frustrated every parent who sends a child to a public school. But by Feb. 21, a week later, when the Rev. Billy Graham died at age 99, not much new had happened in the Parkland shooting story, yet the cable news I saw while working out at the gym focused on the week-old shooting while ignoring the death of one of the most recognized and consequential persons of the 20th century.
Graham's death was meaningful to millions of American. For a great many people, their religion is the most important thing in their lives, and Graham represented that spiritual importance. News media should follow up on tragic events like the Parkland shooting, but that doesn't mean they should ignore later, more immediate news of great importance to the public. Those follow-ups I saw focused almost exclusively on efforts to change state and federal laws to make combat weapons, such as the one used in the Parkland school massacre, more difficult to obtain. No new developments had arisen in the shooting story. The news coverage focused on a political agenda.
Some news outlet got it right. The Raleigh News & Observer did a wonderful job chronicling the life of Graham. His death was the lead story on 1A with a separate front-page story on his influence on N.C. politics and three pages inside the front section with additional coverage of Graham's life. I'm sure the Charlotte Observer and other N.C. media also gave good coverage of Graham's passing. But the national news also should have given Graham his due.
I have made this argument before. Princess Diana died Aug. 31, 1997, and news media provided wall-to-wall coverage for more than a week afterward as every aspect of her life and death was examined and re-examined. When Mother Teresa died days after Diana, on Sept. 5, the international news media barely noticed, even though she was a legend in the world of Christian missions and caring for the poor. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. Her life's work warranted coverage, and her death should have been front-page news. It should have overshadowed the days-old reporting of Diana's death, but it didn't. The news media chose glamour and celebrity over sacrifice, faith and compassion. This discrepancy exemplifies the national media's shift toward entertainment over substance, amusement over importance.
It's no wonder that many Americans do not trust the news they see on television or online when the most important aspect of many people's lives — their faith — is given no value by news editors.
Showing posts with label Stoneman Douglas High. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stoneman Douglas High. Show all posts
Friday, February 23, 2018
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
Don't expect change after Florida school massacre
The Ash Wednesday (Valentine's Day) massacre at a Florida high school was in some ways even more horrifying than all the other mass shootings America has endured over the past 20 years. The formula is a simple one: One disgruntled, angry, excluded individual (or more) armed with one or more rapid-fire guns, one location where scores of unsuspecting, defenseless people are gathered. Stir well, then listen to the grieving parents, survivors and others. Then hear the politicians express grief, regret, sorrow and comfort, then do nothing. Now await the next massacre following the above recipe.
After last week's massacre, students at Stoneman Douglas High School vocally stepped up to demand action by politicians who have too often obediently done the National Rifle Association's bidding while ignoring the pleas and opinions of their constituents. The elementary school children who were killed (20 children) and terrorized (all the others) in Newtown, Conn., could not advocate for themselves, and their grieving parents have been ignored.
These Stoneman Douglas students are different. They are at the cusp of adulthood. Some are eligible to vote or soon will be. They also have the idealism of youth. They expect elected officials to listen to them. The "younger generation" has not been so motivated since the Vietnam War. The draft protesters of the 1960s had "skin in the game." They (at least the males) faced a military draft that could send them to Southeast Asia as cannon fodder in an ill-conceived war half a world away.
Today's young people, male and female, face a more immediate threat from begrudged malcontents armed with rapid-fire military combat weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition in high-capacity magazines. This generation feels threatened, and for good reason. Mass shootings have become routine events. Schools have protocols for limiting casualties and alerting law enforcement quickly, but the massacres continue. You might be next. Or you. Or you.
The organizing students are determined to see action from their elected representatives, and they want more than "thoughts and prayers" or anguish about mental illness. They want combat weaponry out of the hands of murderous civilians. They want schools and other public places to be safe from crazed killers with arsenals.
History will not offer much hope to the Florida student organizers. Newtown, Columbine, the Colorado theater shooting, the Florida nightclub massacre, and the Las Vegas concert shooting gallery did not change anything, despite the grief and shock that followed each incident. Politicians have more motivation to do the bidding of the NRA, which buys congressional votes with millions of dollars in campaign contributions, than to protect America's innocent children. Youth movements also tend to falter on the fact that younger people are not regular, consistent voters, and their anger tends not to last through more than one or two election cycles.
Kudos to the organizing survivors of Stoneman Douglas High, but don't expect things to change. The odds are against it.
After last week's massacre, students at Stoneman Douglas High School vocally stepped up to demand action by politicians who have too often obediently done the National Rifle Association's bidding while ignoring the pleas and opinions of their constituents. The elementary school children who were killed (20 children) and terrorized (all the others) in Newtown, Conn., could not advocate for themselves, and their grieving parents have been ignored.
These Stoneman Douglas students are different. They are at the cusp of adulthood. Some are eligible to vote or soon will be. They also have the idealism of youth. They expect elected officials to listen to them. The "younger generation" has not been so motivated since the Vietnam War. The draft protesters of the 1960s had "skin in the game." They (at least the males) faced a military draft that could send them to Southeast Asia as cannon fodder in an ill-conceived war half a world away.
Today's young people, male and female, face a more immediate threat from begrudged malcontents armed with rapid-fire military combat weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition in high-capacity magazines. This generation feels threatened, and for good reason. Mass shootings have become routine events. Schools have protocols for limiting casualties and alerting law enforcement quickly, but the massacres continue. You might be next. Or you. Or you.
The organizing students are determined to see action from their elected representatives, and they want more than "thoughts and prayers" or anguish about mental illness. They want combat weaponry out of the hands of murderous civilians. They want schools and other public places to be safe from crazed killers with arsenals.
History will not offer much hope to the Florida student organizers. Newtown, Columbine, the Colorado theater shooting, the Florida nightclub massacre, and the Las Vegas concert shooting gallery did not change anything, despite the grief and shock that followed each incident. Politicians have more motivation to do the bidding of the NRA, which buys congressional votes with millions of dollars in campaign contributions, than to protect America's innocent children. Youth movements also tend to falter on the fact that younger people are not regular, consistent voters, and their anger tends not to last through more than one or two election cycles.
Kudos to the organizing survivors of Stoneman Douglas High, but don't expect things to change. The odds are against it.
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