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Don't Shoot The Messenger

Posted 7/24/2012 1:33:00 AM

As we reported the movie murders last Friday, someone called to chastise the media. He said we were again giving the killer the publicity he wanted. Perhaps he was trying to outdo the High School shootings in near-by Columbine. Whatever, he said we were giving this young man his desired fame or infamy. Should we not have reported what happened? We went through the same issue in the early 1980’s when people were dying from poisoned Tylenol. Should we warn the public, and maybe give copycats a similar idea, or should we keep quiet and just let people die from what may already be in their medicine cabinet? Our responsibility, of course, was to warn the public. Wikipedia says police in Chicago went so far as to drive around with loudspeakers proclaiming the danger. You say you don’t like hearing about a three month old baby shot in a movie theatre. We too have children, and we take no joy in telling you about such things. Still, our calling is to inform, and sometimes forewarn, so you can make an informed decision about your life. Please, don’t shoot the messenger.

Note: If you wish to leave a comment, please keep it no longer than my editorial, unless you wish us to edit it. Your comment will not appear on the blog until it has been cleared by Bob.

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Posted By: Bob Layton

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Richard posted on 07/24/2012 06:27 AM This comment was edited by a moderator at 10:10 AM on 07/24/2012
If you couldn't have used "don't shoot the messenger" as a title, what would you have used?

Bob replies: I considered "kill" but shoot makes a better point.
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Robert posted on 07/24/2012 06:40 AM
With that Yahoo on Friday saying you shouldn't report the shooting, then why have news at all? Just don't give the killer's name, then this will nail the killer.

If as you say he wanted to do something worse than Colombine, then we need to be aware because whether it's reported or not, someone will become those very monsters we read to our children about. It's bad enough to die, but die alone and forgotten?

Besides, we all remember Colombine, and remember we live in a world where children kill children (not overseas mind you), but do we remember the names of the killers?
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Bill posted on 07/24/2012 07:30 AM
Bob I have been on this earth for sixty five years now and if there is one thing I have learned it's that there is always an opposing opinion no matter what the issue is, so no matter how it's reported someone will always object to how it's done. I'm sure you have the same opinion.
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fred posted on 07/24/2012 09:21 AM
Just a thought Bob.
Would it be alright then if we shot those who keep putting these people back into the public to continue with their crime type ways?????
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Ryan Hagen posted on 07/24/2012 10:14 AM This comment was edited by a moderator at 07:14 PM on 07/24/2012
Wow, either you missed the callers point or you're more interested in people commenting on your editorials than learning from them. The point isn't that you shouldn't be reporting horrific crimes, it's that you shouldn't be giving the criminal the attention that they are seeking. Why not treat these criminal the way young offenders are treated in Canada, with name publishing bans. However judging from your sensationalizing final line, reporting the news as simply news is far from your agenda. It's a shame that so many news people have agendas these days.

Bob replies: Sorry, you lost me - what agenda do you think we have?
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1. Bob $ posted on 07/27/2012 08:31 AM
  @Ryan Hagen Let me get this straight Ryan,...we should keep the identity of criminal "private" so they don't get glorified in the news...How do you feel about sexual predators that prey on all kinds of young kids, male and female???
  
  "Why not treat these criminal the way young offenders are treated in Canada, with name publishing bans. "
  And don't we SEE how GREAT that is working,..the youth are spitting and laughing in our faces, and going on their merry little drug induced trance to commit more crimes,...because they KNOW that their identities cannot be revealed...If there was ever a LAW that should be repealed in this "politically STUPID correct" society ,...it is THAT ONE!
  
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Bob $ posted on 07/24/2012 03:35 PM This comment was edited by a moderator at 07:11 PM on 07/24/2012
"someone called to chastise the media. He said we were again giving the killer the publicity he wanted."
I think where this media coverage goes wrong and get criticism is when they some start to research and build a story about every aspect of the criminal's life. The victims, who did not ask for this notoriety or this memory of their lives are plastered all over the news side by each with the perpetrator. That is the sickening part of media!!! CNN....especially!!!

Bob replies: I agree. I hate it when they question some person who wasn't even there about what "might" have happened.
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The Infidel - Mr. John posted on 07/24/2012 03:46 PM
If one would want issues like to disappear,..just get the government to initiate a government sponsored investigation, which would take years of secret inquiries, which would cost millions and millions of tax dollars, which would involve many, many high priced inquirers, who would accomplish absolutely nothing, and then all of this, after a few years, would issue a few hundred page or multiple volume inquiry results, which would say nothing, and then it would be released, with their meaningless recommendations, which nobody would implement, and after a few years it would disappear into the annals of history and the library of ambiguity, never to be heard from again, until the next occurrence, which would then initiate another follow-up investigation and inquiry, which would promise to get to the bottom of the issue, based on the divine promises of the politicians involved, who would promise everlasting results from their efforts. Whew! and all that in one sentence! Such as it would go in Canada!
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1. Bob $ posted on 07/25/2012 08:28 AM
  @The Infidel - Mr. John Bob does like to keep the comments shorter, preferably, one sentence, one liners!
  
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