S09.E25: Crime Reporting

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Main topic: Crime Reporting

Also: Joe Biden counting words; protests in Iran; Christopher Columbus: Kind of a Cool Guy; Another Installment of Local News Beat Poetry From NBC4 Washington's Pat Collins 

Original air date 2022.10.09

[Annber03]

"Herschel Walker acted out about ten episodes of 'Maury'..." XD. 

Much support for those Iranian women. Keep fighting the good fight! You'd think these old, outdated men would've gotten a clue by now that people get tired of their repressive bullshit worldviews and will, sooner or later, start pushing back, but apparently not. 

As for the main topic...WOW, that original reporting on the George Floyd murder. Even more grateful for that young woman who filmed the tragedy - I truly shudder to think of what would've happened had that original reporting stood and that officer remained on the force. 

"K9 Cash". Damn, that Alabama police force wasn't being even remotely subtle with their scheme, were they? That's insane. Not surprising, mind, but good god. 

I envy everyone who gets to watch Pat Collins on their local news :p. I wonder if the Mike in question saw that clip, or if anyone ever found out who he was? 

[ebk57]

1 hour ago, Annber03 said:

I envy everyone who gets to watch Pat Collins on their local news :p. I wonder if the Mike in question saw that clip, or if anyone ever found out who he was? 

Honestly, nothing to envy about that... 😄 We usually grab the remote as quickly as possible when he shows up on the TV.   One of his more "famous" bits around here is the "Pat Collins Snow Stick" - which is just a yardstick he uses to measure the snow.  Because when an inch of snow falls in DC, life stops. 

I'm so proud he's getting the national attention he deserves.  Or something. 

[Lugal]

Professional Wrong Person Larry Kudlow thinks Colombus was a cool guy.  Sort of sums it up.  Aside from the brutality, Colombus didn't even "discover" the Americas, the Native peoples did.  Even the Norse and Polynesians (and possibly others) were here before him.

I stopped watching local news a long time ago, since my town doesn't have a local news or tv station anyway.  And that Alabama PD, K9 Cash just looked like he was on the grift.

[peeayebee]

What was it that John said about rainbow fentanyl, that the colors were to differentiate different pills? It didn't make sense to me. I assume that whoever is making the fentanyl decided to make it rainbow colors to appeal to young people -- not children, who don't have an income. I certainly agree that the scaremongering about this is ridiculous, that drug dealers are not going to put the pills in your kids trick-or-treat bag.

BTW, I just remembered an Everybody Loves Raymond episode where Marie hands out Raymond's multi-colored condoms to the trick-or-treaters thinking they were balloons. 😆

I hope all newscasts learn to say "Police claim" rather than "Police say." Much more accurate.

For a reason I can't recall, I've been receiving emails from the NY Daily News. I don't live anywhere near NY. Anyway, I unsubscribed a while ago, but I still get the emails. (I unsubscribed again today.) But the thing I've noticed about 99% of the subject lines is that they are crime stories, violent ones. 

Loved the two comments about the "drug haul" photo:
  "This is Playskool's My First Dealer set."
  "Who was the drug dealer… El Cheapo?"

[xaxat]

There is actually a term for the misleading press reports put out by police organizations, "copaganda".

I thought this episode was really interesting because it main story actually touches on several themes that John has covered. As he mentioned, the reliability of police provided narratives. How popular culture shapes out perception of crime (The Law & Order episode). And newsrooms that are so desperate for free/sponsored content that they will air segments on "sexual healing blankets".

[PrincessPurrsALot]

The idea that different colors of fentanyl tablets are used to lure children does not make sense to me.  I agree with Jon that it is an expensive product.  People aren't trying to get children hooked on something they cannot afford.  Coloring on pills often denotes dosage or manufacturer.  For illegal drugs or re-pressed tablets, it can also be used to disguise one thing as another. 

Fentanyl can be a very dangerous drug, but as Jon pointed out in prior coverage the hype around it is extreme.  There was the breathe in just a little or get some dust on your skin and you're dead myth being pushed by law enforcement.  When they push that level of false panic, it takes away from the real issues.  Also, someone who has been exposed to the powdered form or touched some pills and had no negative effect might not realize the true concerns because they disregard all information as panic rather than scientific fact.  

[DoctorAtomic]

5 hours ago, peeayebee said:

I certainly agree that the scaremongering about this is ridiculous, that drug dealers are not going to put the pills in your kids trick-or-treat bag.

Back in my day the news was all about don't take apples from anyone when you're trick or treating because they put razor blades in the apples!

[swanpride]

The whole thing is so strange to me...in a lot of countries there is a "children collect sweets" tradition, but the US is the only one I know where sweets are x-rayed for razor blades and similar nonsense. 

[Trini]

17 minutes ago, swanpride said:

but the US is the only one I know where sweets are x-rayed for razor blades and similar nonsense. 

Nobody does that. If there are people who do that, they're definitely the exception, not the norm.

[peeayebee]

I seem to recall medical facilities offering their x-ray machines for parents to check their kids' candy haul. Anyone else remember this? The Mandela effect?

[khyber]

15 hours ago, PrincessPurrsALot said:

The idea that different colors of fentanyl tablets are used to lure children does not make sense to me.  I agree with Jon that it is an expensive product.  People aren't trying to get children hooked on something they cannot afford. 

I had to have this conversation with a friend yesterday. As soon as I said, "Why would a dealer give an expensive product away to a 7 yr old ?" She said, yes, you're right. 

[PrincessPurrsALot]

It's a continuation of the myth of strangers poisoning candy which actually fits well into the topic of crime reporting.  There is a good wikipedia page laying out how these myths started and the reality.  Incidents that were initially reported under stranger danger are then found to be deaths by other causes or things done by either children or their parents.  However, the media runs with the first story and never issues the disclaimer.  Also, the police get to look good in that they offer to inspect Halloween candy or x-ray it. 

US media doesn't just go with if it bleeds it leads.  They also continually promote stories that increase fear and distrust. 

[DoctorAtomic]

I don't have the time to make anything anyway. Sure, I'll hand out candy and have a good time, but I'm buying a bag of whatever at the store. 

[lasu]

My dad always inspected my Halloween candy when I was growing up.  Especially peanut M&Ms and Snickers, and the only way to really check them and know for sure was to eat them himself.  Since he loved me, he ate my candy to keep me safe.  😂

[kittykat]

Oh man I could watch Baby Ryan Seacrest get dressed down by his co-host all day.

I couldn't tell if Tucker Carlson was actually horrified by the people defending Columbus or just looking very constipated.  Probably the latter.

Fear mongering in crime reporting is nothing know but yes they need to talk about how coverage is disproportionate whenever the perpetrator is dark skinned.  That poor kid who was wrongfully accused not even getting a retraction from the paper.  SMH

Those Iranian teens are my new heroes but I do hope they can keep up the fight.

[andromeda331]

Those Iranians are so brave and heroic.

The crime reporting does need to be more balanced and I hate that it even needs to be pointed out truthful.  They also need to report when the person has been cleared of a crime. John's right that never happens. 

Drug dealers are selling drugs to kids? Really? Instead of going after adults and teens with jobs their going after children's allowence. Yeah, that's the way to a go.

[ShadowKnight2]

Honestly, that story about handing out rainbow colored fentanyl to kids on Halloween is just loads of unbelievable stupid. Whoever came up with that scare tactic needs to be blackballed and shamed for the rest of their lives!

Don't expect to see any changes from the media about their ways, when it comes to how they cover and present their stories to the public. The old saying "If it bleeds, it leads" is all about making money for the station, which is the driving motive for the entire American media industry, from newspapers, magazines, radio, network and cable news, and the internet.

[JustHereForFood]

Lots of support for Iranian protestors, hopefully something good will come out of it. 

On 10/10/2022 at 6:04 AM, Annber03 said:

You'd think these old, outdated men would've gotten a clue by now that people get tired of their repressive bullshit worldviews and will, sooner or later, start pushing back, but apparently not. 

Yeah, that would be nice, but they are often detached from reality and think that any protest can be curbed by brute force (and it often is). Then there's the other dangerous situation, when they try to look more modern and less dictatorial than their predecessors to get points with western leaders who want to close their eyes, but in truth are almost just as bad (*cough* saudi Arabia *cough*).

Regarding the colorful drugs, couldn't that be more about the drugs looking less suspicious? If I see white pills like that, I can think it's mints, or normal medication, but would probably be more suspicious, but if it's a lot of colors, I am more likely to think it's candy, I think.

That local news reporter, oh my. Seems like a nice guy who is commited to his job.

[DoctorAtomic]

The colored pills came up today re: Halloween, and I delighted a co-worker by bringing up the razor blades in the apples. The younger folks were cracking up because they thought it was too preposterous to be real, but he backed me on it being a big deal back in the day.

Anyone see the tweet about the One Ring and the snickers?

[Lantern7]

Good episode. John falls in love with the schoolgirls in Iran defying authority, we get a bunch of right-wingers tossing Columbus' salad, and then John has at it with the police's PR defense and the media letting it through without much hassle. I will say that the old reporter in Washington would probably be exhausting to watch all the time. Beatnik music would do little to make things better.

On 10/10/2022 at 3:32 PM, peeayebee said:

I hope all newscasts learn to say "Police claim" rather than "Police say." Much more accurate.

Yes, but would anyone notice? Would most people still immediately see the POV of the police?

For anyone that didn't watch the series from at or near the beginning . . . back in 2014, an "And Now, This" segment asked how Columbus Day was "still at thing." Seeing right-wing pundits embrace Columbus is not fun to watch, and it shows the lack of progress of at least trying to pry Columbus away from the holiday.

Edited October 15, 2022 by Lantern7

[peeayebee]

2 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

Yes, but would anyone notice? Would most people still immediately see the POV of the police?

Call me a cockeyed optimist, but I think it would make a difference, at least with some people. And I think it's more of a subliminal thing, with the word 'claim' having a more skeptical nuance to it.

[paigow]

22 hours ago, peeayebee said:

Call me a cockeyed optimist, but I think it would make a difference, at least with some people. And I think it's more of a subliminal thing, with the word 'claim' having a more skeptical nuance to it.

Like forcing Stone & McCoy to keep using alleged at all pre-trial press conferences....

[xaxat]

[purist]

On 10/12/2022 at 3:02 PM, kittykat said:

I couldn't tell if Tucker Carlson was actually horrified by the people defending Columbus or just looking very constipated.

That facial expression seems to be his default, which is unfortunate.

[ebk57]

And...speaking of Pat Collins - he's retiring at the end of the month.  I guess he's trying to avoid becoming a national celebrity!  😄

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/news4s-pat-collins-to-retire-at-end-of-2022/3227797/