“b”-smirched
OK, now they’ve gone and made me mad.
From the get go, I wasn’t a fan of “b” — the Baltimore Sun’s free and fluffy publication that made its debut this year.
The free part is fine, but the idea of putting out a dumbed-down, celebrity-laden, depth-free daily newspaper, when the regular newspaper is headed in that same direction, b-fuddled me.
On the other hand, it’s generally a pretty b-nign publication — like one of those bugs that makes annoying noises in your ear but doesn’t sting or bite.
Today, though, one of its “content providers” (what we used to call writers) made this remark in reference to the story of the Berwyn Heights mayor whose two dogs were killed by police in a poorly thought out marijuana bust:
“It’s not like these dogs were pit bulls, foaming at the mouth ready to bite off the officers’ legs. They were Labrador Retrievers …”
I think it might b-hoove “b” — and the rest of the news media — to learn a little more about pit bulls and avoid using and reinforcing the easy and erroneous stereotypes.
This is the sort of thing that happens, though, when you take the quick, easy and, above all, cheap approach to producing newspapers.
I’m not sure what the consensus is on “b” in Baltimore, but in my opinion (also free) it adds little to the conversation, and the resources devoted to it are taking away from the fine newspaper Baltimore once had.
Being a former Sun reporter, I don’t want to come across as disgruntled, or for that matter, gruntled, for I am neither. But slurring an entire category of dog raises my hackles.
Maybe, with all the other bumper sticker variations you see around town of the former Baltimore mayor’s lingering (BELIEVE) slogan, it’s time to add one more to the mix:
Posted by jwoestendiek August 8th, 2008 under Muttsblog.
Tags: b, b leave, baltimore sun, believe, dogs, journalism, news, pit bulls, sterotypes
Comments
Comment from Marie
Time August 8, 2008 at 2:31 pm
That is crazy. I am sick and tired of people misunderstanding a breed of dog. I actually sighed with relief that the dog that mauled the baby last week was NOT a pit. I wish the media had included that the mother had just gotten out of rehab in the initial story, instead of making it sound like a puppy randomly ate a baby. But that would be asking for responsible reporting. Still, I was happy it wasn’t a pit. I urge everyone to take a hard look at the myths they are perpetuating with those kind of comments and think twice. Educate yourself. Start with “The Pitbull Placebo” by Karen Delise. I understand that people are afraid of dogs and dog attacks. However, you can’t demonize an entire breed more than you demonize a race of people. Pitbulls are not the first breed thought to be bad. Uncle Tom’s Cabin made the Bloodhound the most dangerous breed of dog. Then Nazi’s made German Shepherds and Dobermans feared. Now it is the Pit Bull’s turn. Nothing is gained by spreading ignorance. I urge B (and anyone else) to educate themselves before trying to pass themselves off as a respectable news source. If I wanted disreputable news reporting, I would get it from Billy Bush or Fox.
Comment from MG
Time August 8, 2008 at 4:24 pm
Marie,
[quote]I actually sighed with relief that the dog that mauled the baby last week was NOT a pit[/quote]
Same here.No one wants to see a child or an adult bitten or killed but I sigh EVERY time I read that it`s another Breed/type.
And I look to see if there are any Mobs on the Forums calling for the burning at the Stake of ALL these other Breeds that nip/bite/attack and very rarely kill.
Nothing!
Here`s a sad article of another child killed.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/26/nyregion/26dog.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Parent irresponsibility ,nothing more.
Young child left with “safe” breed.
The report is unbelievable!
Describes the classy Neighbourhood,the SUV`s,there`s no police tape.
Investigators make excuses.
Bizarre,one in a million blah,blah,blah.
Owners want the dog adopted out to another family.
Cute picture of the “Perp”
No catch pole shot as it`s dragged from the scene.
Many people want to adopt it.
Info about the “safe” Breed from a Club.
Hell I want to adopt this dog.
Why can`t people see what the Media is doing.
This family will probably adopt another “safe” Breed and leave another young child unattended.
All I can say to the family is
PLEASE DON`T ADOPT ANOTHER DOG THAT COULD CONCEIVABLY BE IDENTIFIED AS A PIT BY THE MEDIA!
Condolences on your loss but ……as Karen D. says
It`s the Owner NOT the dog.
Comment from MG
Time August 9, 2008 at 5:07 pm
I think someone has educated “b” on pit bulls.
Comment from baltimoregal
Time August 11, 2008 at 11:21 am
John,
I just want to thank you for telling “b” that their flip remarks and unrepentant stance on them is NOT O.K. I appreciate it!
Ann, aka BaltimoreGal
Owner of Stella, the lab/pit mix
http://tiny.cc/stella929
Comment from MG
Time August 8, 2008 at 2:08 pm
[quote]I think it might b-hoove “b” — and the rest of the news media — to learn a little more about pit bulls and avoid using and reinforcing the easy and erroneous stereotypes.[/quote]
I`ll bet you`re still waiting for the Easter Bunny,Tooth Fairy and Santa to show up for your next Birthday Party
I don`t know what the answer is but it`s not going to come from the Media.
It SHOULD come from the Media but they(Most) have lost ALL CREDIBILITY due to their assault on these dogs.
You can`t even tell now if and when it is a “Pit Bull” or IF it is even a serious bite.
They ONLY report on what they think are Pits.
They DON`T report bites by other dogs for the most part.
It`s all about driving traffic to their sites.
Just look at the 1000+ comments re the poor Labs gunned down.
Can you imagine any sympathy for Pit Bulls when they are gunned down.
I sent a letter re a headline yesterday.
I asked if this was really News worth publishing and did they realize how many dogs kill cats?
[quote]Pit-bull incident sparks fears[/quote]
It was a huge,Bold type headline.
It was a dog that killed a cat.
This is the polite response I got from a Newspaper
[quote]Dear genius:
Did you actually read the article? The woman said she wants the dogs “more self-contained,” not taken from their owner or destroyed.[/quote]
I equate the Mainstream Media with the likes of the National Enquirer now.
I get my news from some Blogs that I know I can trust to be fair and balanced.
I give up on the Media.
They should be ashamed of themselves.