robertsb@ttidcb.UUCP (Robin Roberts) (02/08/85)
There are so many textbook examples of media irresponsibility in the last ten
years that I thought I was a veteran of news disinformation. Remember "toxic
shock syndrome" ? More people are now victims of it than when media coverage
was at its peak but its no longer "news". Child molestations. You'd think the
media invented them they seemed to appear so suddenly. The truth is of course
that such events were always with us. And now we have armed citizens defending
themselves first against muggers and then against the media.
Goetz of course started it. Then the man in Chicago. Of course the media
ALWAYS emphasises the fact that the individuals were not legally carrying the
firearm. Of course if they hadn't been and had been robbed, injured and/or
killed it wouldn't be national news.
The two NRA magazines "American Hunter" and "American Rifleman" ( both
excellant publications well worth the membership fee ALONE if you hunt or
shoot recreationally ) each month have a column called the Armed Citizen
wherein they reprint newspaper stories of citizens using firearms to
defend themselves, by frightening, wounding or killing criminals who attack
them. They have been running this column for at least 10 years that I know
of. And for a period of at least three years back in the 70's they only
printed stories where the criminal wasn't killed to show that deadly force
isn't always required. Was this "news"? No. Not until the national media
decided it was.
I am once again confronted with the fact that the news media do a great deal
of harm by their distortion of priority in news issues. Its long past time
for them to clean up their act.
--
Robin D. Roberts (213) 450 9111 x 2916
Citicorp - TTI Zone V4
3100 Ocean Park Blvd DVC
Santa Monica, CA 90405
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