Over at Jalopnik Detroit, Aaron Foley has a terrific blog
post (all pieced together by 1:28 a.m.) about the Detroit TV media’s embarrassing
attempts last night to hype an unconfirmed story of shots fired in Hart Plaza
shortly after the start of the Detroit fireworks show.
post (all pieced together by 1:28 a.m.) about the Detroit TV media’s embarrassing
attempts last night to hype an unconfirmed story of shots fired in Hart Plaza
shortly after the start of the Detroit fireworks show.
Foley systematically and chronologically lays out the
folly of Channels 2, 4 and 7 engaging in speculative reporting about the “chaotic scene” without citing sources. He also shows the shallowness of TV reporters when they take to
Twitter.
folly of Channels 2, 4 and 7 engaging in speculative reporting about the “chaotic scene” without citing sources. He also shows the shallowness of TV reporters when they take to
Twitter.
And the print and radio media are not left untouched. His
conclusion? “… in times of panic, we still haven’t learned exactly how to
inform the public about what exactly is going on.”
conclusion? “… in times of panic, we still haven’t learned exactly how to
inform the public about what exactly is going on.”
Here’s a portion of Foley’s commentary:
 |
| (Foley) |
“To be sure, violence at the annual fireworks show has
happened in the past and is bizarrely accepted as the norm. And no one is
disagreeing that violent events should not be reported.
happened in the past and is bizarrely accepted as the norm. And no one is
disagreeing that violent events should not be reported.
“But
what if maybe, just maybe, things changed for the better this year? And what if
it wasn’t gunshots, but maybe some other disturbance? Firecrackers? Echoes of
the fireworks mistaken for gunshots?
what if maybe, just maybe, things changed for the better this year? And what if
it wasn’t gunshots, but maybe some other disturbance? Firecrackers? Echoes of
the fireworks mistaken for gunshots?
“… To run on presumption and presumption alone that it
was gunshots speaks more to the thirst of our local media to put more blood on
the airwaves than to actually do some responsible reporting. (WXYZ’s ragged
coverage side by side with that uber-boosting ‘Detroit 2020’ series is
especially disappointing and lets me know exactly where their priorities are.)”
was gunshots speaks more to the thirst of our local media to put more blood on
the airwaves than to actually do some responsible reporting. (WXYZ’s ragged
coverage side by side with that uber-boosting ‘Detroit 2020’ series is
especially disappointing and lets me know exactly where their priorities are.)”
