Real issues not addressed in coverage of Ferguson
I’m sick of hearing about Ferguson.
Please understand, I wish it weren’t so. There is an important national conversation that could be had surrounding the entire Ferguson situation, but since that’s not what’s happening at all, I’m actually starting to savor anything on my Facebook news feed that doesn’t mention it.
Media have an irritating habit of oversimplifying complex issues into black-and-white debates. Phrases like “at the end of the day” and “the biggest problem” are phrases media love. It irks me every time they’re used because something is being left out of the equation. Someone is enforcing the polarization news outlets so desperately crave whenever a story is hot. This is a problem.
Many would have you believe the fallout in Ferguson is a matter of black and white. I’d contend that the defining color of the entire situation is actually grey.
Media hate grey.
You’re familiar with how this works: there’s no middle ground in the news because (apparently) nobody would find that interesting. You’re either a religious nut who opposes same-sex marriage or a crusading liberal who supports it fully. You’re either pro-choice or pro-life and must, by definition, hate whichever faction you don’t belong to for being ignorant or intolerant.
In the case of Ferguson, apparently you are either a racist or you hate cops, which is pretty awkward for those of us standing around not hating anyone while these two opposing factions bark at each other.
Too often those who refuse to take sides in a debate are labeled as those who don’t care, when they’re probably the ones who care the most.
Those able to sympathize with both sides of an issue often find themselves in a so-called “grey area,” and are largely ignored because of media’s obsession with finding out who is “right.”
Contrary to popular belief, it’s possible to sympathize with the officers risking their lives each day for their often unappreciative communities and also with the people of those communities who live in fear of a system they can’t trust. But news outlets would much rather jump to conclusions to determine who is “right” than give voice to those who find the matter to be more complicated.
It’s about time journalism stopped thinking in terms of black and white.
— Logan Jones is a sophomore majoring in journalism. He writes sports for the newspaper and talks sports on Aggie Radio. Contact him at logantjones@aggiemail.usu.edu.