Essay from a Concerned American: Yellow Journalism
“For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.” (2 Corinthians 13:8)
Journalists, like most people, aren’t perfect. Take the following FOX 23 News headline:
Tulsa police search for suspect after robbing a woman at gunpoint
Does something sound not quite right? We know (or hope) that Tulsa police didn’t rob a woman at gunpoint. No doubt the author got a good-natured ribbing from colleagues. Yet an inadvertent misspeak is one thing. A deliberate effort to sensationalize a news story is another. It’s called yellow journalism, and here’s an example of it from NPR, dated April 21, 2021:
Columbus Police Shoot And Kill Black Teenage Girl
The first line of the article reads: “A 16-year-old Black girl was fatally shot by an officer outside her home after she called the police for help on Tuesday afternoon, according to her family.”
It is factually true that a Columbus police officer fatally shot a 16-year old black girl. Yet it’s also true that she had a knife and appeared about to stab two other girls. Those facts weren’t mentioned until the eighth paragraph, but her age and race were at the top of the article. If you were black and you already were suspicious of police, what conclusions would you draw?
Yellow journalism exploits people at their emotional worst. When you read of a police incident, especially deadly force, note how often loved ones are quoted with comments like, “He had a heart of gold.” “He was always kind.” Remember, this is how loved ones knew him, not the police.
Now if you had just been told a loved one had been killed by police, even if you knew he was no angel, you’d be emotional. You’d want answers, especially if you or your family had had bad run-ins with cops. And let’s face it, cops aren’t always angels, either. That’s why police departments have Internal Affairs and Complaint Units. Yet as a loved one, you don’t need a reporter putting his mic in your face, turning your personal nightmare into entertainment fodder for the evening news.
Yellow journalism disserves the very people who need and deserve good police service. Decent people in bad areas know criminals are no friends of theirs, but they’re scared to say so openly. Cops want to do good police work, but they’re also the media “bad guys.” So decent people in bad areas can’t get good police service, and ultimately criminals win.
If politicians, reporters, or other critics had enough integrity to go on a ride-along for a week or two on the night shift in summer, they’d get a better hold of seeing the facts. Yet if they won’t, they still have Constitutional protection to put out their slanted narrative. You can’t prevent them.
Yet you can still give decent people your best work. James 2:13 says, “…mercy rejoiceth against judgment.” Police work means enforcing the law and dealing with troublemakers, but it also means dealing with people and knowing when to let mercy rejoice against judgment. The guy you treat decently and give some slack to today may be the guy who has your back in the street tomorrow.
Don’t let yellow journalism discourage you. You know the truth. Decent people know it. God knows it. Give God–and decent people–your best work: “Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;” (Romans 12:11) Most of all, if you’re not sure you’ll get to heaven when you die, please go to www.clevelandbaptist.org, click “Helpful Links,” then “How Do I Go to Heaven?”
Brian Miller 5/6/2021
Cleveland Baptist Church 4431 Tiedeman Road, Brooklyn, Ohio 44144 216/671-2822