To the Point
The Media and the Sniper: All Sniper All the Time?
With a sniper suspect in custody, Washington and its suburbs are breathing deeply again. Nonstop sniper coverage has earned CNN, Fox and MSNBC ratings that equaled the aftermath of September 11. Did the media-especially the cable news channels-tell the rest of the US more than it needed to know? Some critics say there was too much uninformed speculation, psychobabble, and even challenges that might have provoked more killings. Others say that the constant chatter helped calm public fear and got citizens to help solve the case. Was a tragic story hyped to jack up audience ratings? Do the police and media need each other? What about those who live with random shootings every day? We hear from the president of a broadcasting trade organization, a columnist on the media and politics, the founder of a bereavement support group and a former police chief. Newsmaker: US Dangerously Unprepared and Vulnerable to Attack Long before September 11, a bipartisan task force warned that America was vulnerable to a terrorist attack. Now, long after the panel proved to be right, it says the US is still -dangerously unprepared to prevent and respond to another attack,- including one with a weapon of mass destruction. Gary Hart, former US Senator from Colorado, is co-chair of the panel. Reporter's Notebook (Local): Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone Dead in Plane Crash Senator Paul Wellstone, his wife Sheila and daughter Marcia were killed today in a plane crash in his home state of Minnesota. Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy campaigned earlier in the day with 58 year-old Wellstone, who was locked in a tight race for a third term. Stephen Hess, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, recalls the spirited legislator who learned how to work the system and get things done across the aisle. Reporter's Notebook (National): A Baseball Dispute Goes to Trial Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants, who is playing in this week-s World Series, gained fame for being the only player to ever hit 73 homers in a single season. By doing that, he produced a valuable homerun ball, which could be worth as much as a million dollars. Who owns the ball is the subject of a bitter court battle. Tyler Cunningham is covering the story for the Daily Journal, a legal newspaper in San Francisco.
By Warren Olney • • 1 min readWith a sniper suspect in custody, Washington and its suburbs are breathing deeply again. Nonstop sniper coverage has earned CNN, Fox and MSNBC ratings that equaled the aftermath of September 11. Did the media-especially the cable news channels-tell the rest of the US more than it needed to know? Some critics say there was too much uninformed speculation, psychobabble, and even challenges that might have provoked more killings. Others say that the constant chatter helped calm public fear and got citizens to help solve the case. Was a tragic story hyped to jack up audience ratings? Do the police and media need each other? What about those who live with random shootings every day? We hear from the president of a broadcasting trade organization, a columnist on the media and politics, the founder of a bereavement support group and a former police chief.
US Dangerously Unprepared and Vulnerable to Attack Long before September 11, a bipartisan task force warned that America was vulnerable to a terrorist attack. Now, long after the panel proved to be right, it says the US is still -dangerously unprepared to prevent and respond to another attack,- including one with a weapon of mass destruction. Gary Hart, former US Senator from Colorado, is co-chair of the panel.
Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone Dead in Plane Crash
Reporter's Notebook (National):
A Baseball Dispute Goes to Trial
Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants, who is playing in this week-s World Series, gained fame for being the only player to ever hit 73 homers in a single season. By doing that, he produced a valuable homerun ball, which could be worth as much as a million dollars. Who owns the ball is the subject of a bitter court battle. Tyler Cunningham is covering the story for the Daily Journal, a legal newspaper in San Francisco.