Tabloid Tactics

  • Thursday, August 20, 2015

Why did the Times Free Press chose a photo of Apison School with a number of police vehicles parked around it to head a story of an alleged "strip" search of a student by a school employee? 

Surely a news organization as large as the local paper could have found a picture of the school without emergency cars and police in the photo. 

Any one glancing at the story and headlines could easily jump to the conclusion the photo was connected to the story. It is likely they could conclude the event was so abhorrent, law enforcement responded in mass to the school. 

I realize newsprint journalism is on the decline. The local paper frequently calls me about subscribing (they called again last week) and if I'm home I look at caller ID and don't accept the call. But resorting to antics like this remind me of the grocery store tabloids with martians walking with past presidents. 

This false impression is disgusting and should not be tolerated by the officers of the paper. The Times Free Press owes the Apison School a printed apology (not  lost somewhere under a column on cultivating rhododendrons). And subscribers need to let them know if they are as appalled as I am. 

Ralph Miller

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