Hysteria

Today the pending execution of Stanley "Tookie" Williams was apparently the only news worth covering in the eyes of the media.

This is not a rant on the pros or cons of the death penalty.

It is a rant on how the media tends to go off the deep end with a story.

Yes controversy surrounds the death penalty and its implimentation. If that was the focus of the media coverage I would have nothing to say.

Through out the day some stations especially one local radio station stepped over the line seemingly intent on contributing to the creation of a story rather than neutrally reporting the facts.

On several occaisons various reporters and on air hosts speculated that the execution of Mr. Williams may lead to unrest in the streets especially in the Los Angeles area.

The air was filled with "what if's" without a single fact to back the question up.

Was the Los Angeles police department on tactical alert: no.

Were the mayor or other elected officials coming on the radio, requesting that the populace remain calm: no.

Were community leaders calling on their neighborhoods to respect the peace in hopes of quelling expected riots: no.

Apparently the radio station in question felt it was their civic responsability to inform its listening audiance of pending unrest that existed only in the mind of the program or news director. Ignoring the facts that they themselves were airing in their news segments and running instead with wanton speculation.

Just one more example of reality being sacrificed to the rating gods.