Some news ain't necessary to broadcast or publish. Like kids (say under 12) getting sodomized, drowned, bludgeoned, burned, whipped to death by an electrical cord, smothered, shook lifeless etc. by mom, dad, mom's boyfriend, neighbor ("he seemed like such a nice guy"), coach, scout leader or a stranger.
Do you really want to hear/read about little Bobby getting raped, sweet Suzy smothered in her Barbie-blanketed bed, innocent DeShawn getting beat until his heart stopped?? Didn't think so.
My suggestion? Let's ask newspapers, television stations, magazines, radio shows, etc. to stop the coverage of these events when they involve kids under 12. They make coverage choices all day, so let's suggest a voluntary public pledge to abandon coverage. I'll even draft it.
We’ll call this campaign, “Not In My News.”
Yea I know: evil happens and we can't pretend it doesn't, yes we should talk about it and warn kids, and hell yes we need to respond as a community to stop it. I'm pretty sure some psychological research exists somewhere to support a claim that this coverage negatively impacts the mind's neurological state. More esoterically? I think it damages our hearts. Really.
I'll post again to shatter the supposed reasonable justifications for the coverage, but I am now uneasy, queasy and profoundly sad just from writing this. Time to do something else.
But not watch or read something that is unnecessarily the news.
But not watch or read something that is unnecessarily the news.
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