In March of 2011 a 21- year old Albanian shot and killed two US airmen and wounded two others. Even though the man confessed the Frankfurt state court, by law, still had to examine the evidence. The prosecutor is asking that the man, Arid Uka, be given a life sentence.
I don't know about you but there is a reason why I don't watch the news. Every time I turn it on I want to turn it off. Day after day it always seems to be the same thing; who got killed today? Where was there a shooting? Who got charged with murder? With rape? Child abuse? How many cars were involved in an accident and how many people were hurt and/or killed? The list of bad goes on and on. And that's just in the Cincinnati area alone. I'm not even going to go into the national issues, though I'm sure everyone can remember the "Underwear Bomber". Why don't I watch the news? Quite simply, because it's depressing. There never seems to be any good news it always seems to be bad. (Even though I hate to admit it but even our sports news isn't always good.)
When I read this article I was actually a little shocked. I guess I'm so used to hearing all the bad stuff happening here that I sort of put blinders on thinking such things could happen elsewhere. I'm not hating on America, we're a great country and we have a lot to offer, but sometimes I feel like we only hear/focus on the bad more than the good. After a while the bad gets old. I guess in a way (and I mean this in the nicest way possible and in no way am I trying to offend anyone) it's sort of refreshing to know that shootings and killings aren't just happening here but in other countries too. Obviously we don't always hear about it because we're focused on us and what happens in our country. I do find it a little ironic (and sad), however, that the two men that were killed happened to be from the US. Because I don't watch the news I wonder if this story made news on CNN or HLN or something.
After reading this article I've found out that the German and American court systems are kind of similar. Even though someone confesses to a crime the evidence still has to be examined and they are still given a trial. And also the fact that it takes a while for the trial to start. (The shooting happened in March of 2011 and the trial is recent news.
This article (by Stuart Tiffen, edited by Nancy Isenson) can be read at:
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,15654704,00.html
I agree with you completely about the news and the low road they often take in reporting in events. It is hard to find information that analyzes events in a non-emotional way. I do not want to see crying parents, hysterical neighbors and ambulances. I would like to hear about what decisions were made in the city, and what the competing viewpoints were--without hyperbole. Do you think that is possible?
ReplyDeleteGreat posting! This is such a prevalent issue. Sensationalism in Journalism is definitely a huge problem worldwide. But it's also a sad reality that's as old as the profession and probably here to stay. Another issue I have is with the popularity of political commentaries from US cable and network news. Political pundits presenting such one-sided views of the issues that it radicalizes their fan bases. Have you ever checked out NPR? 91.7 on the radio, my favorite news source. It actually borders on legitimate.
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