Are news agencies fair and objective when they report dog-related stories?

Are news agencies fair and objective when they report dog-related stories?

• Scarborough Report
  On Wed., November 16, 2005, Joe Scarborough interviewed Dawn Capp and B. Fitzgerald regarding Pit Bulls and breed specific legislation. On Monday, November 21, the segment aired (though MSNBC representative Greg Cockrell could offer no explanation for the delay). When finally aired, the Scarborough folks cut out the following:
  
  (a) Dawn Capp rebutting a false statement by Fitzgerald that Pit Bulls bite with 1200 lbs per Square Inch of pressure. Dawn Capp presented information about a National Geographic study that showed Domestic dogs, including Pit Bulls, bite with jaw pressure around 320 lbs per square inch.
  
  (b) Information about the effectiveness of breed bans, such as the one in Denver, citing statistics showing that, after implementing a ban on Pit Bulls, the average number of dogs bites per year in Denver is over 600, with less than 1% caused by Pit Bulls. Denver has had 5 fatal dog attacks, including 30 serious injuries caused by dogs, since implementing its Pit Bull ban, and 99% of those aggressive dogs are NOT Pit Bulls, despite the fact that the number of Pit Bulls Denver confiscates each year increases.
  
  (c) Information regarding fatal attacks by non Pit Bull breeds, such as Colorado's Kate-Lynn Logel, a seven year-old girl killed by her family's Alaskan Malamute.
  
  Not only did over half of the information presented by Dawn Capp get cut OUT of the segment, almost NONE of the information presented by Fitzgerald was cut. Furthermore, during much of the segment, scenes of Pit Bulls fighting or being dragged off played on the screen with captions about "controlling dangerous dogs." At one point, what looked like JACK RUSSELL TERRIERS flashed across the screen. Can the Scarborough producers NOT even tell the difference between Jack Russell Terriers and Pit Bulls?
  
  What happened during the unusual five days delay? Creative editing?
  http://www.chako.org/goodbad.html

 

Good read!!!

 

Funny....I thought there was no way to tell the psi of a dog bite. Think about it, who's to say if each particular dog is biting as hard as they can.....Its scientifically an uncontrollable study.

 

NO!!! The news agencies ARE NOT fair and objective when they report dog-related stories!!

I work for an advertising agency and do alot of Public relations, so I am in constant contact with the media. I will tell you that the only thing that matters to the media is ratings. They will manipulate the truth, omit facts or use vague language simply to increase their market share.

Ratings = Dollars. The higher rated a news program is, the more the media can charge for commercial spots during those shows.

In Connecticut, a :30 sec TV commercial run during LOCAL 6PM news is at least $1,500.00 depending on the share of the market that the station has.

A technician in the editing department of one of the stations told me that they actually have some one who reviews stories and footage for the "rating spin" prior to it's release.