Today I watched in utter disbelief as both Fox News and CNN referred to the Colorado movie theater shooter as a “genius”.
Does anyone else find this disturbing?
Please excuse me if I go off on a rant, here, but I am absolutely flummoxed by the lack of common sense displayed today by these two cable media titans.
In case you haven’t heard, last Thursday night’s midnight showing of the new Batman movie in Aurora, Colorado was interrupted by gunfire. A heavily-armed man wearing body armor came into the theater and started shooting. 12 were killed, over 50 were injured, and I understand that 17 are still in the hospital.
The only reason it didn’t turn out worse was the combination of a quick response from the police, and the fact that his gun jammed, rendering hundreds of rounds useless.
This man, this cowardly piece of trash, was all over the news today. Normally, in the interest of staying positive and avoiding any one cable news media’s “spin”, I get my news from online newspapers, as well as from WCSH 6 in Maine and Hawaii News Now in Honolulu. Today, however, I was a bit of a captive audience simply because I was working out at my health club, and the channel right in front of me was tuned in to the news.
Unfortunately, Fox News dedicated a huge amount of time to showing the movie theater shooter standing before a judge while chattering away about him. One of their worst, most irresponsible comments was made by the male anchor commentating around noon today. He called the shooter an “evil genius”.
If that wasn’t bad enough, a little later, while on a different machine with CNN in front of me, I saw the angry and distraught brother of one of the victims interviewed. He, too, referred to the shooter as a “genius”. CNN then made that statement their banner headline.
This is where I (quietly) lost it.
What constitutes genius, anyway? Is it shooting into an unsuspecting crowd of theater patrons while wearing heavy-duty body armor?
It is not.
True geniuses have names like Albert Einstein. Frank Lloyd Wright. Stephen Hawking. Steve Jobs. Shakespeare. Galileo Galilei. These are geniuses. They earned that distinction for their intellect, insight, creativity, or the ability to see and make connections that others could not.
Shooting dozens and dozens of people and booby-trapping your apartment is not genius. It is cowardice. It is the stupidity of a punk. It is the cruelty of a killer.
It is NOT genius.
Calling him a genius is not only stupid, but it’s incredibly insensitive and disrespectful to the victims and their families.
What is with the media, anyway? Why do they make these kinds of statements?
They do it for the ratings. They do it to inflame and upset, and to get us hooked on their shows. Because the more ratings you have, the more money you get via commercials.
There is a reason that the commercials cost millions of dollars during the Super Bowl. It’s because America is a captive audience during those three hours. And if everyone is watching, you can charge more.
Which is why I think we all need to stop watching them.
Now if you are a news junkie who has Fox or CNN on 24/7, please don’t think I want you to break your habit. The truth is, I love nothing better than being in New York where I can listen to 1010 WINS on the radio–straight news, no judgements. After all, I cut my teeth on a school newspaper, and graduated to studying journalism and working for a daily newspaper as a reporter, photographer and weekly columnist. I have to know what’s going on…but I refuse to participate in this kind of media feeding frenzy.
All I ask you to do is to not participate in the exhaustive coverage of a mass murderer.
Tonight, CNN is airing a special all about him. Please don’t watch it. All we do when we are a party to this kind of voyeurism is glorify what he did.
What message are we sending our society? That if you kill a dozen people, we will air specials about you and call you a genius?
That’s insane. It’s just insane.
While I was exercising, and looking away from CNN every time they brought their coverage back to that cowardly killer, I saw a small blurb about chef Marcus Samuelsson, an Ethiopian-born orphan who came to America and started a restaurant in Harlem. He is helping to revitalize that neighborhood, and doing good for his community. In the course of his interview, he called America the greatest country in the world, and proudly announced his patriotism for his adopted country.
THIS is who CNN should be doing specials about. Not murderers.
Please join me in boycotting CNN and Fox News coverage of this killer. When it comes on, change the channel. If you feel so inspired, write or tweet them that they are wrong.
My favorite tweet of the day came from a fellow named Rob Delaney. He had this to say in response to ABC’s tweet promising coverage about the shooter:
“A guy you’re making famous. RT @ABC: Who Is Colorado Shooting Suspect James Holmes?“
Exactly, Rob.
Exactly.
Your Monday Challenge is this:
Refuse to participate in the voyeuristic, sensationalistic coverage surrounding the Colorado movie theater shooter. If it comes on, shut it off. If you really want to follow the news, read twitter or pick up a newspaper. The newspapers will be straightforward and won’t have the rampant stupidity and speculation of the on-air anchors, simply because they have a limited amount of column inches they can fill, and will have to stick to the facts.
We don’t need specials about killers. In my opinion, it serves nobody, and does more harm than good.
Aloha!
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UPDATE:
You just can’t make this stuff up!
My husband and I went to see “The Avengers” again tonight, since our kids are with their cousins through tomorrow. When we came out of the theater, we saw five satellite news trucks on the far side of the lot. Several were from Boston, 90 minutes away.
Ever curious, I walked up to ask what was going on. I honestly thought there had been an accident at the Funtown/Splashtown amusement park across the street.
I was wrong.
It turns out they were there to cover the story, that I’m guessing must just be coming out, about a man who brought guns to a showing of Batman last Saturday.
Here in a little town in Maine.
At my favorite theater.
Folks, if that isn’t proof that copycats do happen, and that they get their ideas from the news, I don’t know what is.
Here is the link to the news out of Maine: Police: Colo. shooting articles found during Maine gun seizure http://lsnlw.com/t/2887267087
Stay safe!
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SECOND UPDATE
After reading the news article (above), I’ve come to the conclusion that the man who brought a gun to the Saco Cinemagic was looking for attention.
How else can you explain speeding down the highway with your blinkers on, doing 112 mph, with an arsenal in your trunk and news clippings about Colorado in your car?
Can we say “Attention-seeking behavior”?
And the news media played right into it.
When will they ever learn?
Common sense, human sensitivity are unknowns to Faux news. They will say anything for ratings and have no remorse for the cruelty, such as you note, that results.
Good post, and I wish more individuals could see through their constant falsehoods.
Posted by Barneysday | July 23, 2012, 6:24 pmIt’s not just Fox, it’s CNN. They all do it. Nobody is immune.
Posted by AlohaKarina | July 23, 2012, 9:55 pmAgreed, I just always hold out Fox as the worst of the worst.
Posted by Barneysday | July 23, 2012, 10:42 pmI don’t watch the news (unless it’s on a screen in the waiting room of a doctor’s office). Everybody spins, everybody sensationalizes, and it’s not done only in this country–it’s everywhere. I hear enough via public radio and read enough reports to stay abreast of major situations. I did hear or read that the gunman graduated at the top of his class, and I imagine that the term “genius” may have been used very literally; he might have that IQ level, but I don’t know. The only news program that I ever thought was reliable was the MacNeil/Lehrer Report (later anchored by Jim Lehrer alone); they made an effort to report just the facts of a story, and they gathered a panel to represent both sides of an issue.
Posted by Robin Jean Marie | July 24, 2012, 11:04 amI feel the same. That’s why I like getting my information online nowadays, and via the newspaper online. You don’t get the social chatter and “expert opinions” which are totally worthless.
Posted by AlohaKarina | July 24, 2012, 8:16 pmI don’t watch the news and haven’t for the most part for many years. I did watch a couple hours (which is highly unusual) of streamed news from Denver on the shooting. I only did that because I used to live in the area. I had enough of news in the two hours I watched. I’ve not turned it on since. I’m with you boycott the news. I find out everything I need to know. And if there is something I want to know more about, the internet will tell me plenty.
Posted by Cee Neuner | July 24, 2012, 2:03 pmExactly. I suppose this is why CNN is losing viewership, and why so many people hate Fox (Faux) news. I’m tired of talking heads telling us what they think we should believe. Just give me the fact and let me make up my own mind. Enough speculation, thank you!
Posted by AlohaKarina | July 24, 2012, 8:24 pmI am with you 100% on this rant. I don’t watch tv news ever anymore cause it is always sensational and negative and makes people afraid and glorifies stupidity. I think there should be minimal mention of the criminals who seek the spotlight.
Posted by rutheh | July 24, 2012, 10:53 pmAMEN! You are clear, succinct, concise…and 100% right! Well-said!
Posted by AlohaKarina | July 24, 2012, 11:08 pmI never watch Faux News anyways, I used to be a CNN-person, news junkie as I am. Nowadays, I watch them very little … we’re not both as addicted to news, so, I merely read online. However, I must say that I think Anderson Cooper did a pretty good job, on NOT paying attention to this evil guy … in focusing on the victims and their families. He did a very specific point in not giving him attention.
Posted by reb | July 25, 2012, 7:53 amGood job for Anderson Cooper. I think he’s excellent.
Posted by AlohaKarina | July 27, 2012, 12:51 pm