On Tue, Feb 12, 2013 at 5:31 PM, PGage <[email protected]> wrote: > I am inclined to give the lawmen the benefit of the doubt, and I > would think most journalists would comply, up to a point. > > Reporters who determine that, for example, the suspect has been either > killed or put in custody, would be in a position to then refuse to comply > with attempts to keep them off scene.
Where we strongly differ is that I don't give law enforcement the benefit of the doubt. And if I was a journalist, there is no way I would allow myself such a benefit. Reporters are unable to determine anything, since none are on-scene. They must accept what is told to them by the sheriff's office, with no way to confirm it independently. Yesterday I made another drive across the region, and again was in awe of the police presence on the roads. These cops were itching for the opportunity they were given up in Big Bear today, many abandoning the parts of Southern California they were assigned to protect and serve in order to join the manhunt through the woods. I only wish the police cared as much about ordinary citizens, but I see no evidence of that. Put simply, I believe these cops wanted Dorner dead, and they didn't want the media surrounding them, and took the necessary steps to ensure they got what they wanted. The guy might've deserved to die, but nobody -- certainly not law enforcement -- should be able to execute a suspect, and the press should not have complied. Kudos to CBS reporter Carter Evans and his team for staying on the scene as long as they did. Shame on KNBC for dispatching Chuck Henry (their resident hairdo) who couldn't ruffle a feather if he worked in a pillow factory. To summarize what happened in terms of media coverage: As soon as it became obvious what the story was going to be, the media was ordered to back off, and every member of the media complied. That isn't journalism; that is stenography. -- Kevin M. (RPCV) -- -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TVorNotTV" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
