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June 24, 2005 The disappearance of honor student Natalee Holloway is tragic; her future seems so full of promise and potential. I don't begrudge Natalee's family for issuing press releases, hiring lawyers and appearing on every news network. If I were in their situation, I would be doing exactly the same thing. Natalee's disappearance is a devastating blow to her family, but it's not a national tragedy. It does not merit wall-to-wall coverage on the all-news cable outlets. Natalee's disappearance and probable death should receive saturation coverage in her hometown, but news stations with a national and international audience should concentrate on the real news of the day: The insurgency in Iraq, the skyrocketing price of oil, recent Supreme Court rulings ... MSNBC, CNN and FOX News should not be in the business of spinning sensational crimes into long running soap operas. Fox News doesn't need to issue a "FOX News Alert" every time Natalee's mom sneezes. I have received many letters chastising me for not expressing enough sympathy for Natalee and her grieving family. "A beautiful young girl is missing, of course CNN should devote as much air time as possible to this calamity." There are hundreds of kidnapped and missing girls, what about them? It would be impossible for the all-news stations to devote saturation coverage to all of them. The producers of FOX News and CNN troll police reports searching for telegenic female victims who will appeal to the right demographics. The media doesn't care about Natalee Holloway or truth and justice -- they care only about ratings, ratings and ratings. I know I sound like a broken record, but I am a counter balance to the prevailing notion that Natalee's disappearance should be a national obsession. I am tired of being a "voice crying in the wilderness", this will be my last essay criticizing the media for their misguided and cynical priorities. I won't write any more essays about the sheer lunacy of a Greta Van Susteren encamping in Aruba to report on a story that should be covered by a reporter from Natalee's home town. ------------ About the author: Robert Paul Reyes is a columnist for the Lynchburg Ledger. Email: rreyes4966@aol.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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