Denver, CO

Unless you’ve been living under a rock (highly unlikely since your reading an obscure Denver blog) then you know there was a strange and frightening incident at the State Capitol building just after 2pm on Monday July 16th. Here’s a line from the Rocky Mountain News in an article describing the incident in the following day’s paper:

“Snyder fell dead onto the marbled floor, blood pouring from his wound, just a few steps inside the Capitol’s north doors.” -Kevin Vaughan, David Montero and Sara Burnett, Rocky Mountain News
July 17, 2007 for the full article click here

To me, this description is a little bit harsh and just a little too graphic. Yes, a man wearing a tux entered the Capitol building and police officers were forced to shoot him. This is true and factual reporting, but do we need it in detail? This, to me, reflects poorly on the interest of us as a nation and what the media keys on to catch our attention and attract readership. Because the media outlets are just providing the news in a way that the public finds desirable and essentially, demands. Does this make sense? Our country is attracted to violence, mayhem, murder, etc. That is, after all, why they say ‘bad news sells.’

To top it all off, this article went out to readers throughout Colorado with an actual photo of the dead body, lying prone in the State Capitol. I suppose I could have included the photo on this blog entry for added effect, but I believe that photos are intended to be used in journalism to enhance the reader’s understanding of the article and improve their experience with the article. I do not feel a photo of the dead guy this article is about serves to achieve either end.
We have so much beauty in Colorado and so many great citizens who are doing so many beautiful things; it is a sad thing that front page news tends to be the murders, violence, rape, etc, the evils and ugly side of mankind and society.