114 replies to this topic

[Pot Odds RAC]

I am sort of tuned into Headline bias. When I see something like "SUV Kills Pedestrian" or "Handgun Kills Child" it drives me nuts.There have been a number of recent stories in the local media about "Pitbull Attacks". It seems that any dog incident involving a Pitbull is automatically worthy of a headline. This concerns me greatly because it leads to a negative view of the breed. So many communities have passed or are considering passing breed specific legislation and this sort of "Journalism" just encourages that thinking.I've written several letters to the Reporters, but they have indicated that they find these "Dog Bites Man" stories to be newsworthy.One reporter admitted to me that a consideration of printing stories like this was driven by the fact that it occurred, in his own words: "in a community that is known for being one of the safest in Metro Detroit"So this admitted bias towards stories that are provocative is only doing additional harm to a breed of dog that has been the target of negative bias for years.Not really sure what my point is here, I guess I'm just frustrated in media headline bias and don't know what else to do.

[Balloon guy]

* Grandmother of eight makes hole in one * Deaf mute gets new hearing in killing * Police begin campaign to run down jaywalkers * House passes gas tax onto senate * Stiff opposition expected to casketless funeral plan * Two convicts evade noose, jury hung * William Kelly was fed secretary * Milk drinkers are turning to powder * Safety experts say school bus passengers should be belted * Quarter of a million Chinese live on water * If strike isn't settled quickly it may last a while * War dims hope for peace * Smokers are productive, but death cuts efficiency * Cold wave linked to temperatures * Child's death ruins couple's holiday * Blind woman gets new kidney from dad she hasn't seen in years * Man is fatally slain * Something went wrong in jet crash, experts say * Death causes loneliness, feeling of isolation * Farmer bill dies in house * Iraqi head seeks arms * Eye drops off shelf * Squad helps dog bite victim * Dealers will hear car talk at noon * Enraged cow injures farmer with ax * Lawmen from Mexico barbecue guests * Miners refuse to work after death * Two Soviet ships collide - one dies * Two sisters reunite after eighteen years at checkout counter

[dapokerbum]

Pot Odds RAC, on Monday, September 27th, 2010, 9:51 AM, said:

I am sort of tuned into Headline bias. When I see something like "SUV Kills Pedestrian" or "Handgun Kills Child" it drives me nuts.There have been a number of recent stories in the local media about "Pitbull Attacks". It seems that any dog incident involving a Pitbull is automatically worthy of a headline. This concerns me greatly because it leads to a negative view of the breed. So many communities have passed or are considering passing breed specific legislation and this sort of "Journalism" just encourages that thinking.I've written several letters to the Reporters, but they have indicated that they find these "Dog Bites Man" stories to be newsworthy.One reporter admitted to me that a consideration of printing stories like this was driven by the fact that it occurred, in his own words: "in a community that is known for being one of the safest in Metro Detroit"So this admitted bias towards stories that are provocative is only doing additional harm to a breed of dog that has been the target of negative bias for years.Not really sure what my point is here, I guess I'm just frustrated in media headline bias and don't know what else to do.

I'll bite. So what would you rather see in those headlines?SUV Kills Pedestrian = Pedestrian walks in front of car ... car winsHandgun Kills Child = Child in wrong place during gun cleaning accidentPitbull Attacks = Provoking Mild Mannered dogs may lead to bite

[Pot Odds RAC]

dapokerbum, on Monday, September 27th, 2010, 2:17 PM, said:

I'll bite. So what would you rather see in those headlines?SUV Kills Pedestrian = Pedestrian walks in front of car ... car winsHandgun Kills Child = Child in wrong place during gun cleaning accidentPitbull Attacks = Provoking Mild Mannered dogs may lead to bite

Child Killed in Auto Accident Child Killed By Father Cleaning Gun, or whomever killed himDog Bites Man, which isn't even news since according to the CDC it happens over 4.5 million times a year in America.When the terms SUV, Handgun, or Pit Bull are used in the headlines it is not to provide additional details, it is to provoke an emotional reaction to get people to read the story. This is borderline demagoguery.

[El Guapo]

I agree, a dog bite is not news. Unless a human is mauled, like that lady a few years ago in the apartment building, there is no reason to report it.I agree that columnists and television media are out of control putting their spin on the news they cover. Yestreday on Yahoo there was an article on Cancer Drugs and costing 93K a year to keep a man alive for another 4 months. They asked him if he'd pay and he said no, he did it because insurance paid for it. Then the next part was basically talking about the government rationing care and how its a necessity.http://www.huffingto...t_n_739722.htmlI am sure this article will give Henry a coronary.

[vbnautilus]

You'd probably get more sympathy for this position if bit bulls weren't vicious beasts.

[Balloon guy]

vbnautilus, on Monday, September 27th, 2010, 1:29 PM, said:

You'd probably get more sympathy for this position if bit bulls weren't vicious beasts.

Parakeet nips owners finger, blood is drawn.You wouldn't read that?

[dapokerbum]

vbnautilus, on Monday, September 27th, 2010, 1:29 PM, said:

You'd probably get more sympathy for this position if bit bulls weren't vicious blood thirsty beasts.

[FCP Bob]

vbnautilus, on Monday, September 27th, 2010, 4:29 PM, said:

You'd probably get more sympathy for this position if bit bulls weren't vicious beasts.

Also depends on what pictures you use.This OneOr This OneWhich might lead to this one.

[Balloon guy]

Lead a team of rescuers to a fallen hiker..they forget all about you other than some picture in a thing called a paper you can't read anyway.Keep thieves from stealing your life savings and harming your family, here's some food.But you just maul one kid....

[dapokerbum]

Balloon guy, on Monday, September 27th, 2010, 3:00 PM, said:

Lead a team of rescuers to a fallen hiker..they forget all about you other than some picture in a thing called a paper you can't read anyway.Keep thieves from stealing your life savings and harming your family, here's some food.But you just maul one kid....

Lassie never mauled a kid ... just sayin

[strategy]

pitbulls are in a special class re: aggression, bite risk. my firm just flat refused to insure anyone who had a pitbull or german shepherd, for instance. it's not that the breed can't be loving and all the rest, it's more the fact that a negligent owner can produce a VERY dangerous animal.all of this has been said before, though.

[Skeleton Jelly]

dapokerbum, on Monday, September 27th, 2010, 3:49 PM, said:

Lassie never mauled a kid ... just sayin

[hblask]

First, "pit bull" isn't a real breed, it's a subset of mutts that are treated cruelly until they become vicious.The breed usually called a pit bull is the American Staffordshire Terrier, and, like any breed, if they come from a good breeder, they are wonderful.Bad owners can make any breed vicious. Also, people who want dogs that are vicious like mutts that look vicious, and so relatives of the AmStaf are popular. There is only one dog that has no legitimate reason to exist, the cane corso, which was bred specifically to have a strong instinct to kill humans. This is the breed that mauled the woman in San Francisco. Fortunately, there are very few of these, but I could support banning them.

[hblask]

El Guapo, on Monday, September 27th, 2010, 2:06 PM, said:

http://www.huffingto...t_n_739722.htmlI am sure this article will give Henry a coronary.

All right, I'll bite (get it, it's a pun on the theme of this thread).This should be in the healthcare thread, but anyway...This article was written by people who don't understand the concept of insurance. It's amazing how many people don't. "I wouldn't spend $100 million for a lottery ticket." Really? That's probably a good thing they are only a buck then!"I wouldn't spend $93K for those drugs." Really? It's probably a good thing there is insurance for them then!HuffPo -- "When the subject is too difficult to put any real thought into it."(I actually kind of like HuffPo, they have a great sense of humor and a lot of integrity. They just aren't that smart.)

[vbnautilus]

hblask, on Monday, September 27th, 2010, 6:20 PM, said:

First, "pit bull" isn't a real breed, it's a subset of mutts that are treated cruelly until they become vicious.The breed usually called a pit bull is the American Staffordshire Terrier, and, like any breed, if they come from a good breeder, they are wonderful.Bad owners can make any breed vicious. Also, people who want dogs that are vicious like mutts that look vicious, and so relatives of the AmStaf are popular. There is only one dog that has no legitimate reason to exist, the cane corso, which was bred specifically to have a strong instinct to kill humans. This is the breed that mauled the woman in San Francisco. Fortunately, there are very few of these, but I could support banning them.

Yeah but the research shows that a disproportionate amount of deaths and bites come from pit bulls. A CDC study found that over a 24-year period about 1/3 of all dog-related deaths were from "pit bulls." Pit bulls and rottweilers together account for the majority of fatalities. I don't think there were any poodle-related fatalities in the same time period.

[hblask]

vbnautilus, on Monday, September 27th, 2010, 8:44 PM, said:

Yeah but the research shows that a disproportionate amount of deaths and bites come from pit bulls. A CDC study found that over a 24-year period about 1/3 of all dog-related deaths were from "pit bulls." Pit bulls and rottweilers together account for the majority of fatalities. I don't think there were any poodle-related fatalities in the same time period.

All this tells you is that people who make their dogs vicious should not be allowed to own dogs."100% of all crimes were committed by humans. Therefore, we should preemptively jail all humans."

[Balloon guy]

hblask, on Monday, September 27th, 2010, 8:20 PM, said:

All this tells you is that people who make their dogs vicious should not be allowed to own dogs."100% of all crimes were committed by humans. Therefore, we should preemptively jail all humans."

Who will stop all the pit bulls then?You don't always think these things through do you?

[vbnautilus]

hblask, on Monday, September 27th, 2010, 8:20 PM, said:

All this tells you is that people who make their dogs vicious should not be allowed to own dogs.

well no, even if we take your premise of all dogs being equally amenable to violence and only acting out when they are trained that way, the data would still tell us more than what you say here: namely that violent people choose particular dog breeds to train that way. are you thinking those people have no effect on the breeding (and that they are choosing poorly)? the customer demand doesn't affect the product? breeds differ in their temperament, behavior, and physical abilities that's why we breed them. ( we happen to have a lot of these people around venice beach by the way. the city has chosen to make a non-breed-specific ban of all dogs on the boardwalk in the summer due to the gang-dog problem. it's pretty unfair to the pulik, imo. )

[antistuff]

who cares about dogs when there are retards driving around in SUVs trying to kill everything in their way. why the hell does somebody who lives in an urban area need an SUV if it isnt to try and mow me down when i just want to ride my bike?