Thursday, August 25, 2005
If It Bleeds, It Leads, So Who Cares If We Get Some On Us?
I remember a clip from The Daily Show a few weeks back of FOX News correspondents talking about terrorist training videos. These videos contained instructions on how to make bombs. Of course, mere words was not enough, as the broadcasters decided to include actual clips from the videos, complete with depictions of ingredients, on the air. This led to the anchors rhetorically asking, "Should we be showing this?", when they already knew the answer: Who gives a fuck? We don't.
Well, FOX is at it again. On August 7th, former AUSA John Loftus was brought on, and he gave away the home address of Iyad K. Hilal, the leader of a terrorist group with ties to the London bombings... which came as quite a surprise to the family who actually lived in the house, which Hilal had abandoned for greener pastures three years ago. Now, they've had curses hurled at them, and, in one incident, had the word "Terrist" [for the love of all that's holy, sic] spraypainted on their driveway.
Of course, Loftus is trying to weasel his way out of this one:
"I thought it might help police in that area now that we have positively identified a terrorist living in [Orange County]," he said.
Yes. Yes, that explains why, instead of politing calling the chief of police for Orange County and politely and, more importantly, discreetly telling him that there might be a terrorist in his backyard, Loftus went on television and told all of America where Hilal lived, opening up the possibility that, gee, I dunno, Hilal might learn that there's someone on his ass who knows where he lives.
Loftus is plenty to blame here. But FOX News is also at fault. They, out of an unmatched sensationalist hunger, had a man basically invite anyone with access to a beer bottle full of gasoline, a lighter, and MapQuest to lynch a suspected terrorist. Like with the bomb footage, they didn't think ahead of time that maybe their actions might lead to innocent people getting hurt. Remember when the news was all about keeping us informed about potential threats, instead of creating them?
Well, FOX is at it again. On August 7th, former AUSA John Loftus was brought on, and he gave away the home address of Iyad K. Hilal, the leader of a terrorist group with ties to the London bombings... which came as quite a surprise to the family who actually lived in the house, which Hilal had abandoned for greener pastures three years ago. Now, they've had curses hurled at them, and, in one incident, had the word "Terrist" [for the love of all that's holy, sic] spraypainted on their driveway.
Of course, Loftus is trying to weasel his way out of this one:
"I thought it might help police in that area now that we have positively identified a terrorist living in [Orange County]," he said.
Yes. Yes, that explains why, instead of politing calling the chief of police for Orange County and politely and, more importantly, discreetly telling him that there might be a terrorist in his backyard, Loftus went on television and told all of America where Hilal lived, opening up the possibility that, gee, I dunno, Hilal might learn that there's someone on his ass who knows where he lives.
Loftus is plenty to blame here. But FOX News is also at fault. They, out of an unmatched sensationalist hunger, had a man basically invite anyone with access to a beer bottle full of gasoline, a lighter, and MapQuest to lynch a suspected terrorist. Like with the bomb footage, they didn't think ahead of time that maybe their actions might lead to innocent people getting hurt. Remember when the news was all about keeping us informed about potential threats, instead of creating them?
