Let us analyze together the way the news is poorly reporting on the protesting going on. Let’s take this charming summary piece from The Daily Beast: “In Berkeley, California, a second night of protests against police killings of unarmed black men in Missouri and New York turned violent again Sunday as some demonstrators threw explosives at officers, assaulted each other, and shut down a freeway, police said. The California Highway Patrol said some protesters made their way to a freeway in Oakland and blocked traffic. The CHP said some tried to light a patrol vehicle on fire and threw rocks, bottles, and an explosive at officers, and that highway patrol officers responded with tear gas. The highway patrol said it was making arrests, but no figures were available.” First, we collectively need to come to some sort of understanding about what violence is? Is damage to property just as violent as damage to people? Are unkind or uncomfortable words violent? Regardless of how you answer that, shutting down a freeway is NOT violent, unless there are other actions that are not mentioned. It is inconvenient and makes the police incredibly aggressive, but it is in no way violent. Shame on The Daily Beast for trying to spin legitimate protest activities as chaotic violence. Second, this is a news story about a 2-sided conflict: police v. protestors. However, we have one source: the police. EVERYTHING in this piece is told based on police data and through the police’s narrative. In no other situation in journalism is that understood to be good reporting. Yet, it is par for the course in reporting these protests. Third, a key word in this piece is the word “responded.” In using this word, it paints a picture as the police having remarkable self-restraint until the time that it is so dangerous they must step in. This is by no means the only, nor even the common, way that the police have acted in Berkeley. They have been so incredibly aggressive that I have been (literally) terrified when watching videos of them. Often, they are not responding in kind. Nor are they often responding. Often, they are provoking through unwarranted and excessive use of force and intimidation. This last point is why we cannot simply have the police narrative. They will not report on their own misdeeds. As we have seen, for example, in Boston, they will instead laud themselves for their restraint and cool in the face of such violence.
Posted on: Mon, 08 Dec 2014 13:41:28 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015