finalsquall said: |
Actually I think the biggest problem is the medias fear mongering. Six corporations hold 95% of all media outlets, from radio, TV and magazines. While I'm sure that the DS could be used as a tool to molest children. So can Vans that don't have windows in the back and I see plenty of those Molester Vans. Until actual statistics come out about how prevalent it is. It's just fear mongering speculation, and speculation often leads to misinformation. I wouldn't care if they presented this issue in an unbiased light. But the fact is the media immediately trys to scare you. "Harmless to....THINK again, it could be molesting your child as we speak. Notice the phallic looking stylus...." This is a made up quote, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it.
Oh and on responsible journalism:
"As the media focused on a string of terrible child kidnappings, Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly warned that we were only seeing the tip on an iceberg. In a segment on the July 16 O'Reilly Factor, the host warned viewers that there were "more than 100,000 abductions of children by strangers every year in the United States."
Most abductions are related to child custody disputes, and of the 3,000 to 5,000 abductions of children by someone who is not a parent or relative that are reported, on average, each year, a substantial proportion are short-term or involve someone known to the children or their families. However, between 200 and 300 of these cases are serious, and involve ransom, murder or sexual abuse. In about 50 of these the child is killed by his or her abductor. Horrific, yes. An epidemic? No. With 50 million children under the age of 13 in the United States, the actual chance of child abduction and murder turns out to be 1 in a million. "
From : http://www.stats.org/stories/2002/phony_aug01_02.htm
Now you can see the intention of bringing this news to light. Of course abduction is a serious issue, but are the intentions of these news reporters to just give the facts, or scare people? you be the judge.
