Jack Ferman raises the issue of why some TV stations covered a
"serious beating" of a bus driver and the Star Tribune didn't. First,
although getten beaten isn't fun, the seriousness of this one is
debatable. According to TV, the driver was treated and released at
the hospital for bruising. That's not as serious as a concussion or a
broken skull.
Beyond that, it was a threshold decision by the paper. I'm told by
people who monitor these things that drivers get attacked monthly. We
rarely report routine beatings of anyone, much less drivers, and if we
did, the newspaper would have room for little else. Undoubtedly there
would be fresh criticism of the paper for portryaing an even more
distorted picture of Minneapolis or (fill in your favorite city here)
as a crime-ridden place.
People who are familiar with how television news works know that the
availability of film footage plays a major role in deciding what's
aired. There was footage available here, and that transcended news
judgment.
As for J Burn's criticism that the Star Tribune and other news media
like to perpetuate the stereotype that violent crime happens only
north of Hwy 55, here's a challenge: Tell me one murder that's
happened elsewhere in the city, or the entire metro area, that wasn't
covered in the Star Tribune.
Steve Brandt
Star Tribune
