Saturday, February 16, 2008

"News" Story Should Be Labeled "Opinion"!

Sure, it's news that the South Carolina legislature has finally passed laws attempting to respond to the illegal-alien crisis in our state. However, the front-page story in Saturday's P & C is loaded with one-sided opinion, presumably that of both the reporter and the editors. [See S.C. Targets Illegals for the full story.] Although it purports to give both sides of the story, it becomes a shill for one side. Why did that happen?

Examples:
  • "Yet for all its proposals, the law's chilly sentiment might be its strongest weapon."
  • "The bill is riddled with proposals already covered by existing law." [diction implying that it is needlessly flawed]
  • "But what about the adult who needs antibiotics for an infected wound? If care is denied, the problem could balloon into a far more expensive problem in the emergency room. Already, immigrants too often turn to emergency rooms for primary care. By closing the doors of community clinics to illegal immigrants, hospitals could face even more expenses." [perhaps true, but the reporter is arguing a position]

  • "Many illegal immigrants [. . . ] say the decision to enter the U.S. illegally isn't a stark choice between right and wrong — it's survival. [Quoting one worker]"I crossed the border out of necessity," he said. "Not because I want to, because I have to." ]This is a reason to accept illegals?]

  • "University of South Carolina professors released a report in August analyzing the lives of Latinos. The report does not distinguish documented and undocumented people." [Shouldn't we get one that does?]

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey, Clelia, none of the bills are law yet.

Turns out you know less than you think you do. I've no idea where you get off picking apart other people's work.

Maybe we should all turn up at Bishop England and evaluate your English class.

Anonymous said...

Illegal means illegal. Send em' all back home. I don't care about their sad "Oh, I'm so poor, I just want to work," story. Stupid poor people. Sucking up our resources. Enforce the law!
Make sure there's enough Medicare to pay for my heart disease and hypertension. "Cough," sorry, choking on another hamburger and cigarette.
Oh, and don't raise my taxes to pay for the $1 billion ICE bill. And remember to be lenient to the young citizens who decide to rob a few places for fun.