PressEthic

After spending time with four different officers during two different police ride alongs I got a different perspective of police officers in general. I never had much respect for police officers they seemed to cause more trouble than help but after spending time with them I started to feel differently. That sympathy was totally removed after reading that three officers fired their guns fifty something times at three unarmed men. It happened to be one of the victims' wedding day which is why the story has garnered so much attention. Why the police officers are suspended with pay for this act is beyond me. The sensationalism behind the act (the fact that it was one man's wedding day) seems to be thehook of the story. That seems to be the focus- not the fact that the officers haven't even said why they opened fire on the men or the fact that they fired 50 something times. Maybe these men were drug dealers and the officers were staging an operation. The point is why does the media seem content search for the sappy stories within a really gruesome truth. Is it that they don't trust their audience's instincts to appreciate news soley for its effect on humanity? I wonder. Yes, the headline tugged at my heart strings but what hurt more is the lack of of respect for human life that seems to exist within the structures of power even second rate ones like the police department.