It is time for the citizens of this country to demand responsible journalism. “News” is now all about misconceptions and outright lies to sell a product. The examples are everywhere, and many in the populace don’t seem to see it. Journalism is about reporting facts, not opinion. We need only look to the recent reports about a young girl that was shot and killed by police in Columbus. 10TV has a post live on Facebook that says “My daughter dispatched Columbus police for protection, not to be a homicide today.”

Facts in the case in no way support what this mother said. She should not even be written about. This mother is currently separated from her children by the state. Her children were in foster care. I only mention these facts so that the reader may understand the woman must be of some type of low character because Children’s Services does not remove children from fine and upstanding citizens. Maybe the girl did call police, I don’t know and it is irrelevant. Body cam footage shows the girl attempting to stab another girl. Police have no understanding of the situation when they arrive. What they witnessed was a girl with a knife that was attempting to injure another person.

That is what the news should have reported. Instead of doing that, the press parades parents of dead children around to garner sympathy. The resulting coverage has led to protests because of the media fanning the flames of outrage. Is that the message the media would like their children to learn? I would think that the lesson is don’t try to stab people and follow the orders of officers or you may lose your life. Agree or disagree with the arrest all you want. Court is the proper place to deal with whether or not the individual or the officer was right or wrong.

Jay Owens

Waterford