WHO DUN IT?
How many times have you read of a robbery and been given NO identifiable details about the “perp?” The person is being “sought” but you don’t even know whether it is a male or female, race, hair color, eye color, type of shoes, or shampoo preference … NOTHING. How are you supposed to be a good citizen?
Every time that happens am I supposed to call the tip line with information about the Taiwanese mother in my neighborhood who seems suspicious to me? One would think the police would get tired of unhelpful tips. If I knew the shampoo preference then I could hang out near the shampoo aisle with my phone prepared to speed dial the tip line. But with nothing, should a person even bother to do anything? It is a police problem, then. It remains a police problem until some family member of the perp decides to call out the police for “targeting” their deceased beloved who barricaded himself in the black neighborhood and had a shoot out with the cops. Why is it only a police problem until the perp is killed or behind bars? (Blacks are not the only people who rob … I have heard that some districts in Japan are not safe either.)
But why should we (or how can we) get involved if no information is shared?
Recently in Arizona a gunman began firing at random people on a busy street at 2am (It could have been Montreal Canada or Paris France, by the way). Except it wasn’t Montreal or Paris. LOCATION matters. In Montreal or Paris the perp likely could speak a version of French. Whereas, in Arizona it is highly probable the perp likely could speak a version of Spanish. Does that matter? Yes! It matters. That’s not being racist, that’s being realistic. In Arizona it would be far less likely the perp could speak Mandarin, than if the crime happened in New York City. Anywhere in the world it is more likely the perp is male (or Trans Female) than female. Anywhere in the world it is more likely the perp is below thirty years of age. And because of the time (2am) it is more likely the person has had a few adult beverages before trying to cap nearby victims.
So, why aren’t the generally obvious details shared with the press (and us)? Or, alternately (and I suspect this is sometimes the case) why is the Press trying to suppress these details? The Press has freedom in order to inform US, it isn’t for their own benefit or to support some agenda they hold. They have freedom FOR US, the People (it is in the First Amendment to the Bill of OUR Rights, which are “for the people.”) [I believe in Freedom of the Press as a Right of American Citizens to KNOW the truth. It is MY right to be informed, not THEIRS to inform.] They seem to know exactly what to share when they dislike a political figure, but they become suddenly hesitant when the political figure is someone they support. One has to wonder if the Press doesn’t do the same when it comes to social issues (like crime, education, health care, and economy). I don’t wonder at all … I have proof they do. How can we KNOW when the Press is suppressing key facts? There’s the rub … they hold the cards and we aren’t allowed to view them.
Thus, every time the details about the perp on the loose are not shared I wonder once again. Do we live in a dangerous “police state” or a more dangerous “press state?” The weaponization of facts can be just as dangerous as a gun. When the Press calls something “criminal,” or “Hitlerish” are we not being held hostage by their words? They are the “fact checkers” and they refuse to allow anyone to “fact check” them … I’ve watched several tense exchanges between political figures (other than Trump) and the Press. Not once has the Press figure allowed the non-Press to hold them accountable for their errors or assumptions. They can ask questions, but their guest never is allowed to ask them questions. I hate people who won’t take responsibility for their actions, words, or attitudes. Funny thing is that the events of which I am writing have all been thoroughly explored and strong evidence of Press error shown. They claim they are merely reporting … but they aren’t. I might mention here that Dan Rather was caught making up stuff. He was fired, but he never admitted wrongdoing. He is neither the first, nor the only. (I guess his story doesn’t count because … why?)
The other side of the Press is greed. They will do anything to “get the scoop.” “Getting the scoop” translates directly into sales and the almighty dollar. They are so eager to “scoop everyone else” that they print stuff they shouldn’t, because a few hours would show the error. A recent example is about that “explosive diarrhea” case … where they got a hint that the source was a specific lettuce supplier. They took no time to double-check and published the name of the company. The next day that company, now exonerated, had to pick up the pieces. Will the Press pay them for their losses? It was a false positive (the possibility of which never made it to the erroneous reports). The Press never takes responsibility for errors, they never replace the losses, never restore a person’s good name, and hardly ever say “mea culpa.”
The third issue I have with the Press is how they “count” the victims. In this most recent story about the Arizona shootings the Press claimed that nine had gunshot wounds. That is false reporting. There were 8 victims. The eight victims deserve to be reported separately from the perp. The perp also was shot, but not at the scene, and not by a victim, and not because the police were trigger-happy. He ran and, when approached, decided to have a shoot out with the cops. See? It is a separate event, in a different location, and under different circumstances. Yet the Press insists the perp should be counted among the victims.
When the perp dies as a result of his own act his story should not be glorified. He isn’t a victim. He deserves no pity and no accolades. I would prefer his name and details of his heinous crime (actions, type of gun used, how he dressed) to be held back because he isn’t important now that he is dead. But while he is on the loose, we need every detail so we can be on the lookout for anyone who has a similar height, weight, hair color, shoes, and skin color. The difference is what is important for US to know. No young boys long to be “on the loose after a crime,” they want to be memorialized with their name and all the details of the reasons they did their crime revealed so other young men can follow. Give them NOTHING! It is the victim who matters. The victim’s family deserves our prayers and contributions. In this way the Press CAUSES more crime and bad behavior. If no story was published about youth riots closing bridges, other youth would have no bad example to follow. But then the Press wouldn’t make money, would they? The Press should have a conscience, because “we the people” do.
Copyright 2026 Donald Whelpley
[PLEASE NOTE that Don is always open to discussing the thoughts and opinions he shares here and welcomes comments as shared in the comment section. He doesn’t use other social media platforms and won’t see whatever you’d like to share with him if you post it elsewhere.
ALSO, Don is always open to offer his thoughts on various topics. If you have a specific request, you can let him know in a comment; he reads – and replies to – them all. ~ Sherry]
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