Are talk show hosts bullies? Some certainly seem to be. Do they report the news or try to create it? Should they be allowed to make accusations as though they are facts? After all, if it's on The News it's true, right?
Lately I've been watching 24/7 news channels when I can't find a program that interests me. Nancy Grace and her boyfriend were in Macon, Georgia when he was murdered. Since then she has adopted the role of crusader. Her recent interviews sound more like attacks than interviews.
In the recent ongoing case of a missing child, Nancy has determined the young mother killed the 3 year old girl. While the mother lies like a rug and partied hardy after she lost track of her kid, so far nothing proves she murdered her baby. They have found no body or any proof the little girl is dead. Tons of evidence have been collected that show she has problems distinguishing truth from fiction, especially once she tells her tales.
Nancy questions her experts from all over the US, a good thing. She attacks anyone who disagrees with her, a bad thing for me. I keep waiting for an expert, especially one who looks for hope the little girl could be alive or that the mom didn't kill her, to tell her to answer her own questions and stop shouting. (Does saying something loudly make it true?) These experts get exposure that could make them household names, but at what cost? Of course they could be following scripts.)
Ms. Grace knows a lawyer should believe in his or her client and that there are people who should be neutral, but she asks questions and makes argumentative comments that suggest no one could miss the mom's guilt without being stupid or a liar.
The grandparents of the missing child have been harassed by people who believe the mom killed her kid. They echo Nancy Grace and people like her, accusing the couple of all kinds of awful things. Parents want to believe the grandchild is alive and they don't want to believe their daughter is a killer. She lies, uses people, and is self- absorbed, but a killer? I cannot believe media folks are allowed to whip fans into a frenzy, but they do. Groups of people have shouted at and to the grandparents and even grabbed at them on their own property, pushing them to defend themselves.
Plenty of other talk show hosts make fun of people who call in questions and agree to interviews.
Let's hear what you think about any of this?
