Issue date: 11/8/02 Section: Entertainment

All the other major news services failed in their packaging of the story. "The Sniper story in links" read one hyperlink on CNN's web page. In links? One of the primary sources of news for most Americans packaged the story of 10 deaths in easy to handle links. "Trail of Terror," reads one, and it offers web readers the option to take a look at the Bushmaster .223 graphic. The deaths have been abstracted from the rest of the story. The important event has become the manhunt in all its glitz and glory, not the efforts of law enforcement agents, the grief of the families or the community response. These latter types of stories are covered, but all are subordinate the ratings grabber: the action movie being played out in real life.

In the media's defense, a hidden killer felling his victims with a single shot, no apparent motive and a varied group of victims certainly breaks the mold and tempts one to sensationalize the story.

It is vital, however, that those reporting the news resist that temptation. We deserve informative, creative journalism. The common method of reporting desensitizes us to violence, but more than that, it removes meaning from the news. Sound bites fade quickly and only partially inform the public; genuine reporting endures and stimulates the imaginations and opinions of the viewers and readers—the true purpose of journalism.

< prev Page 2 of 2

Article Tools