Friday, October 26, 2012
Monday, October 22, 2012
Extra! Extra!
People have long criticized news organizations of adding sensationalism to stories for the sake of selling more copies or attracting more viewers.
It appears to be true in the case of the headline that appeared today:
Naturally, a reader’s first thought will be, why does a cop get to avoid this?
But when one reads the story one learns that the whole matter has absolutely nothing to do with the convicted person having been a police officer. He could have been a truck driver, a computer programmer, or a restaurant chef, it would make no difference.
The story is about a sentencing error by the original trial judge, which caused the courts to rule that the sex offender registration requirement under "Megan’s Law" does not apply. The convicted person having been a police officer doesn’t enter into the matter at all.
Perhaps the convicted person having been a police officer had some bearing on the original assault case. But we do not know that by reading the story accompanying this headline.
So why did the headline not read, "Man Convicted of Sex Assault Does Not Have to Register as Sex Offender, Court Rules?"
Because, it appears, stories about bad cops attract readers. Stories about judges who err while issuing a sentence do not.
It appears to be true in the case of the headline that appeared today:
Former Cop Convicted of Sex Assault
Does Not Have to Register as Sex Offender, Court Rules
Naturally, a reader’s first thought will be, why does a cop get to avoid this?
But when one reads the story one learns that the whole matter has absolutely nothing to do with the convicted person having been a police officer. He could have been a truck driver, a computer programmer, or a restaurant chef, it would make no difference.
The story is about a sentencing error by the original trial judge, which caused the courts to rule that the sex offender registration requirement under "Megan’s Law" does not apply. The convicted person having been a police officer doesn’t enter into the matter at all.
Perhaps the convicted person having been a police officer had some bearing on the original assault case. But we do not know that by reading the story accompanying this headline.
Because, it appears, stories about bad cops attract readers. Stories about judges who err while issuing a sentence do not.
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