Let’s talk about reporting on crime and justice, specifically, the line the public draws between them. To me, it seems it’s not at the scene of the crime.
For example, an impaired driver is stopped, charged and their name shows up on our website and social media.
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The public reaction? “Why is this news? It’s just a drunk-driving charge.” “There are worse things going on” or “Are we going to hear about distracted driving charges next?”
Sharing RCMP news releases is an important part of what we do, both good and bad.
Now, let’s change one thing. That same impaired driver gets behind the wheel again, only this time, they plow into a family of four.
The community wakes up and it’s now a tragedy. Now we’re outraged. Now it matters.
We demand life sentences. We want names. We cry for justice.
The very same charge is now a headline. The same person goes from “meh” to monster.
So, what’s the line? It seems to me it’s not logical, it’s the body count. We don’t want to talk about how many of these so-called “minor” charges are near misses.
It might remind us of how many times we’ve taken that chance or how many “just another” DUIs were seconds away from tragedy.
It’s easier to ignore the uncomfortable reality that the first charge was the warning.
Newsrooms get accused of fearmongering or dragging people through the mud. When tragedy strikes, however, those same voices cry out.
“Why didn’t anyone stop them?” “How could this happen?”
Do me a favour and pick a lane.
Public safety isn’t reactive, it’s preventative, and if we’re only paying
attention after the tragedy after caskets roll by, don’t we become an
accessory to the act? Acceptance grows in the silence some demand when it’s “just another DUI.”
In my opinion, whether they like it or not, the public needs to know the fact people survive drunk-driving charges every single day. Not because it’s harmless but because they got lucky.
Luck is not a policy. It’s not protection. It’s roulette with other people’s lives. Every emergency services worker attending tragic scenes because people didn’t heed the warning will attest to this. I say this as a volunteer with the
Blackfoot Fire and Rescue.
If that makes you uncomfortable, good. That’s the point. If you don’t like seeing impaired driving charges in the news, maybe ask yourself why it takes death to make us care.
Maybe the problem isn’t the reporting, maybe it’s our tolerance for risk, until it’s our family on the front page.
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