Letter: Let’s put events into perspective

Tuesday, April 24, 2007 | 7:11 a.m.

Yes, there was a tragedy in Virginia; 32 people lost their lives. The front page of Sunday's Review-Journal showed the photographs of all the victims. The message? Innocent people have lost their lives because of the actions of one irresponsible person. OK, zoom out to a global perspective for a moment.

What if American newspapers put the photographs of American soldiers who have died in Iraq on their front pages each month? Do the media feel that we just don't need a reminder that there is very little that is measurable that shows any degree of progress in Iraq, while there is just too much that is measurable that shows us a paucity of progress?

For those who do not like that example, what about the media attention to veteran radio personality Don Imus? Imus and another man who has been on his show for years, Bernard, commented on the Tennessee/Rutgers championship game one morning. They used words coined by black rappers in their lyrics, trying to be funny. After all, it is what Imus is hired to do - be funny and shock people.

In retrospect, their words were in bad taste and apologies were in order. Without further judgment on Imus, think about this: How many people would have even been aware of his dumb remarks if the media had not chosen to blast the headlines and the airwaves with the subject?

Was the media responsible to designate that much attention to Imus when the attorney general was being scrutinized severely, and when horrors were continuing in Iraq? Many of us would question just what is the purpose of the mass media: Is it to bring into focus the news items that affect most Americans, or is it to compete with those scandal sheets one sees at the supermarket check out?

Ken Anderson, Las Vegas