From the article:
"A total of 20 current or former New Orleans police officers were charged last year in a series of Justice Department civil rights investigations. The probe of Glover's death was the first of those cases to be tried.
"Next week, two officers are scheduled to be tried on charges stemming from the July 2005 beating death of a 48-year-old man. And a trial is scheduled to start in June for five current or former officers charged in deadly bridge shootings and an alleged plot to make the shootings appear justified.
"Police shot and killed two people and wounded four others on the Danziger Bridge less than a week after Katrina. Five other former officers already have pleaded guilty to participating in a cover-up of the shootings. One received eight years in prison and the other three."
It was Propublica that broke this story.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110331/ap_on_re_us/us_katrina_burned_body
It is really tragic to read stories about those people who work in jobs that are designed to protect the public: such as police, fire, and military. But at the same time, it is refreshing to see stories in the news about the wrongdoings of these people, because it means that the news media is doing their job. As American citizens, we have a right to know when a person or a group breaks the law. But we often never hear about these stories because those who did something wrong are not punished, or because the media decides that it is in their best interest not to break this story. Time and time again we learn that the media only report those stories that they deem important, and that do not go against the people in power. Well, these people are not necessarily in power, and they still are not being talked about.
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ReplyDeleteIt is sad to see that the police, who are supposed to be law enforcers, involved in these criminal acts. Usually, the media focus on the police as reducing crime and maintaining social order. Here lies the reality that the police's actions are constrained by our laws.
ReplyDeleteAs a non-profit media, ProPublica is an outer ring media that "produces investigative journalism in the public interests." This story is typical of what they describe as important and which contains "moral force" content. They produce "journalism that shines a light on exploitation of the weak by the strong and on the failures of those with power to vindicate the trust placed in them." This is the type of journalism used as a Fourth Estate to balance the power of the judicial system.
Source: http://www.propublica.org/about/
I have followed the stories about what happened to people after Katrina and was always disappointed at how most of the media had ignored this travesty of justice. I am glad to see that some part of media is paying attention. These people abused their power in a way that should make all Americans angry.
ReplyDeleteWOW!!! Are you serious?!?!? No wonder when you apply for a police officer job you are asked these rediculous questions on the polygraph, as your thinking what kind of questions are these and who would actually do something like this but now i know that they are asked for a good reason... If this story was to be viewed on a mainstream news media, it would have never seen any air time because they dont want the viewer(s) to see how unreliable or uncredible some of the police officers that are supposed to "protect and serve" us really are. Do everyone a favor and dont try to protect and serve anyone else anywhere. This is horriffic and just makes me nausea even reading something so bad that could happen to any one city, the hurricane that ruined thousands of peoples lives and now cops who gun people down. How much money would you give for a story like this... Good luck advertising this story...
ReplyDeleteMainstream media do not present us with all of the relevant information we need to hear. It seems to me that the only media who really care about what is happening and want to inform people so they can take action, are the middle and outer ring media. The info presented by these media is usually more believeable and not one-sided. By being, "more prevalent but hav[ing] far less influence," these sources get the truth to us, (Robinson, p. 7). Sadly, many people only get the info they do recieve from the mainstream media. It is quick and convenient to turn on the TV to CBS or ABC. It is a bit more difficult to sit and 'search' for other news sources. This is mainly because of how spoiled we have become by the media. They present us with some relevant information and we keep coming back to them for more. They get much more out of the relationship than we do.
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