Saturday, August 25, 2007
Seattle Ferry, Possible Terrorists, Protecting the Public, and a Misguided Newspaper Editor
Passengers on the Washington State Ferries system reported two persons behaving suspiciously. Armed with a clear photograph of the two men, the FBI asked for help identifying the men.
Typically newspapers and other media outlets gladly perform public service announcements and other public service acts.
But, in this case Seattle Post-Intelligencer Managing Editor David McCumber decided not to print the picture because it wasn't newsworthy, a threat to civil rights and several other logically garbled reasons. McCumber expanded on his "logic" here.
As for "essential liberty," which ones are being given up here? If I'm walking down the street and think someone is stalking me and tell a policeman, what do you think he'll do? When you are in public places, you temporarily give up large portions of your right to privacy.
Some people considering the FBI's actions racist profiling and fear mongering. Of course, this "unregistered user" could be anyone including a terrorist. Accusations of profiling are too easy to throw around. What did the other passengers observe? How many observed it? How often was it observed? How many passengers of the same racial appearance as the "suspects" ride the ferries and have never been reported? Unless you know the answers to all these questions, accusations of profiling are the same old knee-jerk response of lefties everywhere.
Washington State Ferries make up the largest ferry system in the country. A "Jumbo Mark II class ferry boat used on the Bainbridge to Seattle run has the capacity to carry 2,500 passengers per trip." The sinking of a ferry would be a disaster with a potential death toll close to that of 9/11. Attacks on multiple ferries could easily be worse. (The 9/11 terrorist did attack multiple targets.)
Running a picture of the men in question does not seem like to much of a burden for a newspaper nor a real threat to any civil rights and such. I wonder what McCumber thinks about the the wholesale profiling of all men as sexual predators. Here is a sample of what newsworthy at the Post-Intelligencer. I'm sure the deaths of thousands in a ferry disaster would be newsworthy also. In an ironic way the name of the newspaper, the "Seattle Post-Intelligencer," is quite appropriate.
Over the years, I've called the 1-800-GRAB-DUI number, reported suspected (and proven in at least one case) child abuse, spousal abuse, generally crazy drivers, auto repair places pouring oil in storm sewers and other stuff. We all have a duty to protect each other and our country, plus the Earth and its people in general. The question is not whether the picture is "newsworthy." It is "Are we going to protect our readers?" Because of mangled lefty logic, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer is failing miserably.
Hat tip to Bill Hobbs.
Typically newspapers and other media outlets gladly perform public service announcements and other public service acts.
But, in this case Seattle Post-Intelligencer Managing Editor David McCumber decided not to print the picture because it wasn't newsworthy, a threat to civil rights and several other logically garbled reasons. McCumber expanded on his "logic" here.
That's not the way a free press works.The request by the FBI stands as news or not depending on you perspective. Is a tornado watch news? Nothing has happened yet. Tornado watches are handed out by a government agency. As for the captain, with a little effort I could find a person of nearly any profession to echo whatever sentiments I want to hear.
If everything any government authority handed us was automatically unquestioned "news," we would be a state-run newspaper. Strangely, some of the same people who have made arguments that we should unquestioningly follow the FBI's directives are also very critical of "big government."
This afternoon I got a call from a Washington State Ferries captain who thanked me sincerely for the decision not to run the photos. He said he feared we were moving to some sort of brown-shirt state where hysteria replaced reason.
He ended our short conversation by quoting Benjamin Franklin:
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
As for "essential liberty," which ones are being given up here? If I'm walking down the street and think someone is stalking me and tell a policeman, what do you think he'll do? When you are in public places, you temporarily give up large portions of your right to privacy.
Some people considering the FBI's actions racist profiling and fear mongering. Of course, this "unregistered user" could be anyone including a terrorist. Accusations of profiling are too easy to throw around. What did the other passengers observe? How many observed it? How often was it observed? How many passengers of the same racial appearance as the "suspects" ride the ferries and have never been reported? Unless you know the answers to all these questions, accusations of profiling are the same old knee-jerk response of lefties everywhere.
Washington State Ferries make up the largest ferry system in the country. A "Jumbo Mark II class ferry boat used on the Bainbridge to Seattle run has the capacity to carry 2,500 passengers per trip." The sinking of a ferry would be a disaster with a potential death toll close to that of 9/11. Attacks on multiple ferries could easily be worse. (The 9/11 terrorist did attack multiple targets.)
Running a picture of the men in question does not seem like to much of a burden for a newspaper nor a real threat to any civil rights and such. I wonder what McCumber thinks about the the wholesale profiling of all men as sexual predators. Here is a sample of what newsworthy at the Post-Intelligencer. I'm sure the deaths of thousands in a ferry disaster would be newsworthy also. In an ironic way the name of the newspaper, the "Seattle Post-Intelligencer," is quite appropriate.
Over the years, I've called the 1-800-GRAB-DUI number, reported suspected (and proven in at least one case) child abuse, spousal abuse, generally crazy drivers, auto repair places pouring oil in storm sewers and other stuff. We all have a duty to protect each other and our country, plus the Earth and its people in general. The question is not whether the picture is "newsworthy." It is "Are we going to protect our readers?" Because of mangled lefty logic, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer is failing miserably.
Hat tip to Bill Hobbs.
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
