An Open Letter (III)
Dear News-based webpages:
Stop posting dead baby porn.
Why do it, you supposedly serious journalistic endeavors? Why put links to stories that tell us of fathers who let their toddlers freeze to death, or mothers who drown their children? What is the point? I understand the need for 'human interest' stories, but at what point do we stop?
I vote for someplace waaay short of these stories. The side of decency.
These stories are pornographic. Is that too strong a word? The third definition in Webster's online dictionary is: the depiction of acts in a sensational manner so as to arouse a quick intense emotional reaction.
Doesn't that fit? What better word for it?
There is nothing in these stories that is redeeming, or noteworthy. It is a tragedy of the deepest proportions, best shared with the fewest number of people. Not hidden, though--the people who are responsible for these deaths should face the penalties for their egregious behavior. Stories of child predators serve a purpose of sorts--they remind us that these sort of people are out there.
But there's no damned good reason those stories should go past the local stage. Other than for the emotional boners some sick fucks get from reading this stuff.
If you want to titillate your audience, go ahead and run stories about an accomplished woman whose sex and love addiction has probably destroyed her life. Make sure you mention the diapers. Or have a field day about a woman whose cause of death should be listed as "being Anna Nicole Smith."
But leave the dead babies out of it.
yeharr
Stop posting dead baby porn.
Why do it, you supposedly serious journalistic endeavors? Why put links to stories that tell us of fathers who let their toddlers freeze to death, or mothers who drown their children? What is the point? I understand the need for 'human interest' stories, but at what point do we stop?
I vote for someplace waaay short of these stories. The side of decency.
These stories are pornographic. Is that too strong a word? The third definition in Webster's online dictionary is: the depiction of acts in a sensational manner so as to arouse a quick intense emotional reaction.
Doesn't that fit? What better word for it?
There is nothing in these stories that is redeeming, or noteworthy. It is a tragedy of the deepest proportions, best shared with the fewest number of people. Not hidden, though--the people who are responsible for these deaths should face the penalties for their egregious behavior. Stories of child predators serve a purpose of sorts--they remind us that these sort of people are out there.
But there's no damned good reason those stories should go past the local stage. Other than for the emotional boners some sick fucks get from reading this stuff.
If you want to titillate your audience, go ahead and run stories about an accomplished woman whose sex and love addiction has probably destroyed her life. Make sure you mention the diapers. Or have a field day about a woman whose cause of death should be listed as "being Anna Nicole Smith."
But leave the dead babies out of it.
yeharr
Labels: contemptable, idiots, news, Open Letter
posted by Balloon Pirate at 10:47 PM
5 Comments:
word, pirate.
there was a detail in yesterday's coverage of that big internet child porn ring bust that i wish i hadn't heard. it still makes me queasy.
well said!
exactly
when i was with Mrs_C she would always want to watch life in the dead or dying baby trauma room or some news clip about fucking dead children. i had to start leaving the room in protest.
i would actually yell at her "hearing about dead or harmed children make me hurt in a way you cannot imagine. STOP SUBJECTING ME TO IT! there are times when i cannot sleep at night because some tidbit of a dead baby or molested and murdered child story haunt my thoughts."
sometimes she would relent, sometimes not.
i think she wanted the emotional high of feeling so bad for the family. she was like an emotional junkie - needing a fix of emotion, whatever that emotion might be.
Wow. I've been thinking about this a lot. I've gotten into the habit of watching TV with the remote in my hand because I want to be able to turn it off if I have to. Ever since that Little Breakdown I've been hypersensitive emotionally and I think that sheilding myself from this kind of news really does help keep my tiny shred of sanity.
i just don't think it should be entertainment, and we all know that most news borders on pure entertainment.
Now if you choose to do a cross country romantic revenge trek (thank you Daily show- they get the news-tainment thing) in depends, you are asking to be news-tainment.
And poor Anna Nicole...all she ever wanted was our attention.
Great post.
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