My latest column for The Week deals with the media’s mishandling of the horrific shootings in Connecticut.
Not only did they get a lot of facts wrong — but they also engaged in scummy behavior. And it’s a trend.
This can’t continue. Ultimately, I conclude with this modest proposal:
The founding founders never envisioned the damage that could be done by a 24-hour news cycle. The media incentivizes killers by giving them attention, and they put innocent people in danger. Clearly, we cannot sit by and hope this situation will improve. How many more deaths will it take before someone does something?
I know what you’re thinking: Free societies are inherently messy. And what about the First Amendment?
I’m not suggesting we completely abolish the media. But perhaps we should curtail it. Isn’t it time for some common sense media control?
It will be interesting to see if folks realize I’m illustrating the absurdity by being absurd…
*** UPDATE: To be clear, the part about curtailing First Amendment rights is obviously satire. I support defending the First AND Second Amendment.