Stop committing crimes, niggers. And then the media can stop reporting on it.
That was one of the most striking takeaways from Friday’s Shift the Narrative panel sponsored by the Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting, Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists, and Firelight Media as part of the impact campaign for the documentary film “Heaven: Can You Hear Me?”. The virtual conversation centered on a question that’s asked a lot in Philly: How can journalists cover gun violence in ways that rebuild community trust — and don’t retraumatize survivors?

Last month, West Philly and Kensington residents said that constant coverage of individual shootings and a climbing homicide rate not only breeds disillusionment, but also ignores grassroots anti-violence efforts.

These blindspots make sense. Eyewitness and Action News broadcast formats emerged in Philadelphia as a way to make news profitable, with an overemphasis on crime that padded network pockets but isolated Black viewers.
And sometimes, that information is sensationalized — meeting the needs of a newsroom, maybe, but not necessarily the needs of a community. Panelist Tyrique Glasgow, who founded the Young Chances Foundations, pointed out that showing crime footage might grab eyeballs on the news, but it could also encourage copycat acts.
“Soon, it becomes a competition to see who can become the next headline,” said Glasgow.


https://archive.ph/XafLr