LETTER: Media needs to refocus crime coverage
Media needs to refocus crime coverage
Can you believe it? Another seemingly unfounded, brutal police shooting of another Black man. Another city is exploding in violence and frustration, going up in flames. How many times are we going to see this scenario repeated as the latest one is compounding tensions in Wisconsin?
The news media has done a pretty good job of being on top of these incidents, but there is one area where they are totally lax and might help to diffuse tensions and redirect the focus, if we truly want change. I want to know how many white people, or Hispanics or other races are shot by police under questionable circumstances. I’m guessing that we would all be surprised by those numbers. Might it be less of a racial problem and more of an enforcement problem?
There is no doubt that Black crime is a problem, but it is a problem for other races as well. We need to step back to ease racial tensions and refocus on the real problem: police who are poorly trained or emotionally unfit for the job. We need body cams for every officer to protect everyone involved in an incident. We need better screening and training for police force applicants. We need to pay well to attract top applicants. We need a solid system in place so police can weed out their own, if needed. We need accountability.
The power of the press is staggering. The news media can significantly help our society by digging up and publicizing stories and statistics that could contribute to the common good. Stop amplifying the self-serving sensationalism and get us some information and coverage that can actually help us toward solutions. Stop fueling the flames and find ways to put them out … what a story that would be!
Sally Brown-Pawlosky
Hickory