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Friday, November 18, 2011

From Penn State to Syracuse to ...?

... what highway to you take to go from one sports program with an alleged sexual molester of children to another sports program with an alleged sexual molester of children?

No, it does not require a car, just turn on the TV and they'll take you to both schools, linking the cases even though they are in no way linked!

It's called "linkage," discussed in the book, and it is a technique the media use to discuss stories by connecting them to other stories even though they are not connected. Think school shooting. One happens. Connect it to Columbine, even though it is in no way connected. Then connect it to Virginia Tech, even though it is not connected.

In this case (an alleged sexual molestation case involving an assistant basketball coach at Syracuse), i is being connected to the Penn State case (which involved an assistant football coach). See the connection? So, clearly, we have a major problem/epidemic of assistant coaches who are perverts (allegedly of course).

Now the media will start looking to find it at all schools. Just watch.

It's already happening at Fox. Check it out:


See the last story? Now it is in high schools, too! So it must be everywhere!

2 comments:

  1. In regard to the h.s. coach in CT, nothing creates camaraderie like a good circle jerk!

    ReplyDelete
  2. From an institutional policy perspective, this is an important topic to discuss. True, the recent events have highlighted an issue which may have been previously unconsidered (is that a word?) but must be addressed. If Coach A gets wind of similar actions by a player or coach, then Coach A is mandated to take _____ steps. By clearly stating procedural protocol, discretion is minimized, along with the potential to point blame at someone other than the offender.

    However, as Dr. Robinson's book cautions, policymakers cannot allow the media to sensationalize these recent events in such a manner that an unjustifiable epidemic is perceived. If policymakers allow themselves to respond to the issue under the misconception that similar incidents are occurring daily and at every scholastic institution, then the subsequent policy will not accurately address the problem.

    ReplyDelete