April 16, 2007

ABC's Brian Ross Adding "Context" to VT Shooting

Robert Stacy McCain, writing over at the Washington Times, notes that ABC's Brian Ross, who usually has excellent terrorism scoops, is already adding "context" to the Virginia Tech shooting. That "context" is that the shooting comes several years after Congress let the assault rifle ban lapse. See how adding that "context" leads the readers to "draw their own conclusions"? McCain writes:

But how about the minor detail that this “news” might be completely irrelevant to the crime?

A newsman’s job is to report the facts first.

Context. You'd expect the Brady people to try to add their context, but would hope that neutral reporters wouldn't.

Here's a bit of my own context. The VT shootings come on the heels of the Virginia legislature exempting university campuses from recent changes in the law which make it easier to carry concealed weapons. Experts agree that no student was legally armed and prepared to defend themselves or their classmates from the psycopathic killer.

I add context. You draw your own conclusions.

By Rusty Shackleford, Ph.D. at 05:16 PM | |