Are the media and politicians perpetuating a tragedy to serve their own needs?

by Dan Oswald

Against my better judgment, I’m going to address the tragic death of Michael Brown. Any time an 18-year-old boy dies, regardless of the circumstances, it’s a tragedy. And yes, I believe he was just a boy despite legally having reached adulthood. I have a son who is just months away from his 18th birthday, and to me, he’s clearly still a boy.

I’m not going to comment on who is at fault for Michael Brown’s death. I wasn’t there and didn’t see what occurred. That determination should be left to a judge and jury. And that’s where my problem with this entire situation begins. It seems to me that everyone wants to weigh in on who is to blame when very few of them have firsthand knowledge of what occurred on August 9. The evidence will show what happened that day, and I have confidence in our judicial system to act appropriately based on that evidence.

As I consider what is going on in Ferguson, Missouri, I wonder how much of it is a result of the 24-hour news cycle. The television news cameras showed up in Ferguson on August 9, and they’re still there two weeks later, pumping footage to the world around the clock. It used to be that the news media would show up to report a story; today they’re part of the story. And they have a vested interest in perpetuating that story so they can fill countless hours of television time with dramatic scenes.

Since the shooting, we’ve seen an endless parade of people show up in Ferguson to offer their “help.” Included are Missouri Governor Jay Nixon, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, and Attorney General Eric Holder. All of them are politicians in their own right, and the presence of countless news cameras, in my opinion, causes Ferguson to be an irresistible attraction to them. President Barack Obama, while commenting on the situation a number of times, has wisely avoided making the trip to Ferguson himself.

All of these politicians show up because the news cameras are rolling. And they hold press conferences and talk endlessly about the situation. And in doing so, they say things that add more fuel to the fire. They can’t help it. Even if they’re honestly trying to avoid adding to the controversy, they end up being hounded with leading questions from “reporters” who have their own agenda. No one could run that media gauntlet without being nicked a few times by those leading questions.

I won’t question the politicians’ intentions. Let’s assume all are there to make this horrible situation better, but in all of their talking, they say things that actually are inflammatory. Do you want to know why weeks after the terrible death of Michael Brown the riots, looting, and arrests continue? Because people keep throwing fuel on the fire to make sure it continues to burn. Whether they do it intentionally or not, that’s what is happening. The combination of countless news cameras and a parade of politicians keeps the fire burning. And the ironic part is that they all question why this continues and call for it to stop.

Do they really want it to stop? The news networks need to turn off the cameras. They need to stop calling in countless “experts” to comment on what has occurred. They need to stop putting on opposing factions who point fingers at one another and make comments that are guaranteed to garner a response from the other side. They need to stop editorializing and using this tragedy to advance their agenda, whatever that might be. And the politicians need to stop showing up in Ferguson to pander to their constituents, which also keeps the fire burning. The media needs to know the difference between covering a story and perpetuating one. And the politicians need to know the difference between helping calm the hysteria and contributing to it with rhetoric.

Yes, Michael Brown’s death is a tragedy. But it has been a tragedy that has now continued for weeks, with hundreds being arrested, others being hurt—at least one critically—and businesses being looted and ruined. One tragic incident has turned into a continual stream of terrible events that is being perpetuated by sensationalized media coverage and politicians who, even if they’re well-intentioned, are contributing to the continuing issues in Ferguson.