Re: Bad reporting Hazards to Homeless article

On 4/13/2024 8:37 AM, anim8rfsk wrote:

Adam H. Kerman <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:

Uptown viaduct fire reminder of hazards to homeless: 'There really is no
peace'
By Caroline Kubzansky and Rebecca Johnson
Chicago Tribune
April 13, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/04/13/uptown-viaduct-fire-reminder-of-hazards-to-homeless-there-really-is-no-peace/
>
Despite the headline, we learn IN THE THIRD PARAGRAPH that the hazard
in question to other homeless people was from a homeless woman who, with
either reckless disregard or murderous intent, set her own tent on fire,
which led to all the other tents catching fire fire. Note that one of
the homeless men interviewed stated that the area under the viaduct is
usually fried, so there are fires set repeatedly.
>
That headline was misleading, and I'd say who set the fire should have
been stated in the first paragraph.
>
In paragraph six, the murder of a well-known homeless man (who walked
without disturbing others rather than just sitting in a doorway) was
conflated. But the crime against him was attempted murder by someone who
was not homeless; he was set on fire while sleeping. It became a murder
as he later died of injuries sustained.
>
This was just bad reporting entirely. The danger from homeless
encampments under viaducts is that one or more individuals will set
fires, and fires spread. Gee. Fires can even destroy viaducts. Maybe
allowing "permanent" encampments once people start fires is horrifically
bad public policy.
>

 Newspapers typically have a dedicated headline writer, and it is standard
for them to base the headline entirely on the first paragraph the theory
being that the person writing the article is good enough to put all the
information you actually need in the first paragraph and do so correctly.
The system breaks down at every point.
 

Starting with "if all the information you need is in the first paragraph why are all the other paragraphs included?"
--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky dirty old man.