“NOT NEWS!” I find myself yelling that out almost daily
as I watch the news channels. OK, sure the hurricane
coverage was relevant, but do we really need to see
reporters standing in 100mph gusts — literally getting
‘blown away’? Alright! We get it, it’s REALLY windy out
there. Granted, there was some very outstanding
reporting after Katrina — I think CNN’s Cooper Anderson
deserves a medal for his efforts. But overall, let’s face it —
most of the news we see over and over again is just simply
NOT NEWS.
My first bone of contention is all the “Pretty White
(usually Blonde) Missing Females”. From the missing
pregnant lady, to the Runaway Bride, to the missing teen
in Aruba (or was it Jamaica — ah who cares). Maybe their
stories might deserve a mention from time to time, but do
we need hourly updates?
My question is why aren’t we hearing about all the
missing black women? Look at the case of Tamika
Huston, a missing young black woman from South
Carolina. Her family reported her missing in June 2004.
Her skeletal remains were found August 12, 2005. Her
family BEGGED the media to get involved, but they didn’t
seem to care.
A little over a week after Tamika’s body was found, the
body of 24-year-old Latoyia Figueroa of Philadelphia, Pa.,
missing little more than a month, was discovered in a
grassy area of Chester, Pa., 10 miles west of Philadelphia.
Figueroa was five months pregnant and the mother of a 7-
year-old daughter. Her ex-boyfriend, Stephen Poaches,
has been arrested and charged with murder in the deaths
of her and her unborn daughter. I guess missing pregnant
black women don’t rate as high as missing pregnant white
women. These are just two examples — there are many
more.
What I find interesting is how after Hurricane Katrina, the
media was SHOCKED at how the government responded
to poor Black Americans in New Orleans who were left to
fend for themselves. Yet the media seems to have the
exact same response themselves. The government ignored
the pleas for help from the Black Americans in New
Orleans and the media ignores the pleas for help from the
families of missing Black Americans.
A second bone of contention is “Celebrity Trials”. From
OJ Simson to Michael Jackson to Martha Stewart to Kobe
Bryant and on and on. How are these trials more
important than any others? Does being a celebrity
somehow mean it is impossible for you to break the law?
Why all the surprise? I simply don’t get it. OK, tell us
about the Michael Jackson verdict, but do we have to
spend several hours, much of which included watching
Michael’s caravan drive from his ranch to the courthouse?
That was NOT NEWS! What? They couldn’t find
something newsworthy somewhere in the world to
report?
The one mostly bright spot in all this news nonsense is the
BBC news. They are my ship in the storm. In-depth
reporting on meaningful stories from around the world.
When thousands of people were dying of starvation in the
Darfur region in Africa this past summer, it barely got any
mention on the US news channels. The BBC dedicated
time and effort into getting this story out. Lately this is
the only place I seem to be able to get any real news. (That
and The Daily Show with John Stewart. We really have to
start wondering when a “fake” news program gives us
better REAL news than the “official” media outlets!)
Maybe it’s the nature of too many 24-hour cable news
stations? I simply don’t know. What I do know is there is
just to much worthless news on today. Don’t even let me
get rambling about the reporting of sports......
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Angela C. Byers
Copyright © 1996 - 2006 Angela C. Byers