Biased Journalism (article on kids with life sentences)

[Morrigoon]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9667158/

Read this article. Look at the numbers, then look at the volatility of the language.

It gives the number of kids in jail on life sentences, what percentage are for murder, and what percentage are under 15. The thing that gets me is that number. It's like 16% are under 15, of a small number to begin with, yet the article is written as if the courts are an "assembly line for life sentences for juveniles" (I may be paraphrasing the quote they used here, but it's the general tone of the article as well).

I just hate when journalists do this. They can't just report, they have to report in a way that generates the expected response - eg: telling us what to think about it. Yet, anyone with a brain (few Americans actually posess one of these, let alone know how to use it), can see by the numbers that we're talking about a very small minority here of what are probably very dramatic circumstances leading to it happening at all.

Just pisses me off.

[Morrigoon]

Okay, 2225 currenly serving life in prison for crimes committed "in childhood", as they put it.
According to the study, which analyzes state and federal data, 93 percent of youth offenders sentenced to life without parole were convicted of murder. Fifty-nine percent had no prior convictions, and 16 percent were 15 or under, factors that in states where judges are given flexibility could result in lesser sentences.

In 1990, 2,234 children were convicted of murder, of whom 2.9 percent were sentenced to life without parole. By 2000, even though the number of youth killers had dropped to 1,006, life-without-parole sentences had increased to 9 percent of the total.
Soo... 1869 of them were OVER 15, or to put it differently, the age at which we've determined they have sufficient judgement to manage a motor vehicle.

That leaves only 356 who were under that age. Now, these 356 (along with the others) came from the pool of 2.9% of child murderers who were given life w/out parole, which means they're the WORST 2.9% of murder crimes committed.

Exactly how does this justify that the court system is an assembly line of life convictions for children who supposedly cannot reason for themselves?

[Reaver]

Journalism is a funny field. It portrays itself as a source of information, but speaks by skewing and and heavy opinion leaning. There's an old Depeche Mode song that says: "You can't change the world, but you can change the facts. When you change the facts, you change points of view. When you change points of view, you may change a vote, and when you change a vote, you may change the world..."

I think there are too many journalists whose main goal is to change the world. And no one seems to tell them that's not their job...

[Prudence]

There's a difference between objective reporting and advocacy. Both are legitimate activities. Unfortunately, the rise in popular media and the diminishment of attention spans allows -- even requires -- the latter to masquerade as the former. I'm sure advertising revenues are up, though.

[Reaver]

LOL. I'm sure. News is becoming more and more entertainment, rather than information. People want to see the crashes, the shootouts, the scandals. Can you imagine if a news show decided to go 50/50 good news/bad news? Reporting on good things that are happening, as well as bad? I'd love it, but it's ratings would crash....

[Not Afraid]

Maybe it's because the general publics' brains are already full of important things like "reality TV" and other quality pursuits to actually stop and do something unique like "thinking" about information. Whatever happened to "questioning everything"?

[Reaver]

I don't know, but I wish it would come back...

[Ghoulish Delight]

I don't know, but I wish it would come back...
I question that. ;)

[Reaver]

Question what? That it should come back, or that I wish it would?

[Nephythys]

Maybe it's because the general publics' brains are already full of important things like "reality TV" and other quality pursuits to actually stop and do something unique like "thinking" about information. Whatever happened to "questioning everything"?


I am confused- when it came to that comment by Bill Bennett you refused to even consider the context in your comments- you did not question anything other than that you considered it racist in tone.

So, are there some things you don't bother to question?

[Ghoulish Delight]

Question what? That it should come back, or that I wish it would?
I question everything.

[Nephythys]

But ^he likes to bomb Smurfs.....so I would not take him too seriously ;)

[Not Afraid]

I am confused- when it came to that comment by Bill Bennett you refused to even consider the context in your comments- you did not question anything other than that you considered it racist in tone.

So, are there some things you don't bother to question?

Well, it was pretty self evident that it had a racial tone, and, after some initial questioning examination of further evidence I determined that the context of the comments didn't change the racial tone of what was said. In my observation, it was a worst racist and at best poor judgement.

So, I believe there was a healthy amount of questioning going on. You may not be privy to all of it, but I don't always think outloud.

[Reaver]

I question everything.

LOL!!! Doh! I didn't even get it, being caught up in the semi-seriousness of the conversation. Well done!