CBS Blogger: We Need More Gun Control Stories

Photo of Ken Shepherd.
By Ken Shepherd (Bio | Archive)
April 25, 2007 - 14:20 ET

In an April 25 post, CBS's "Public Eye" editor Brian Montopoli worries that the media are not doing enough reporting on gun control, lamenting that the media are waiting for political players to gin up the issue.

There were reasons not to take up larger issues and assign blame in the immediate wake of the shootings – those first few days needed to be about how people were dealing with the horror of what had taken place. But some time has now passed, and I'm hard pressed to think of a better time for the media to focus on a huge issue that isn't going away anytime soon.

Where has Montopoli been? Not only have the media been focusing on the gun control angle to the story, they've heavily leaned in favor of more gun control, including featurin gun control advocates in both broadcast and print coverage. While there were a few exceptions, most media coverage has cheerleaded the notion of enacting new gun control laws. Here's a refresher for Montopoli, a list of some of our coverage over the past nine days:

More at Alphecca blog.

—Ken Shepherd is Managing Editor of NewsBusters


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How about CRIME CONTROL inste

April 25, 2007 - 14:24 ET by Mean Gene Dr. Love

How about more effective CRIME CONTROL stories instead?

"When life gives you lemons, make lemonade, and then toss it in the face of the person who gave you the lemons until they give you the oranges you asked for in the first place!" --Bill McNeal, NewsRadio episode 3.17

The last thing you want to do

April 25, 2007 - 14:40 ET by Gat New York

The last thing you want to do is have the general public be able to protect themselves against crime, because then how will you be able to promote more gun control laws? 

Here's  a radical new idea,

April 25, 2007 - 14:53 ET by DCC1

Here's  a radical new idea, how about the media report the news, and stop making the news!!!! I am so fed up with this elitest garbage, heads should roll for this kind of crap, we CANNOT let them do this anymore, they are brainwashing millions!

But once again, the Republican leadership won't call anyone out for anything. They officially will say that the media is ballanced, and they think if they just keep their head down and dont make a stink than the media won't go after them. Grow a pair would you Republicans!?

Crazies to the left, and Whimps to the right

How about they report ALL gun

April 25, 2007 - 15:39 ET by bassndude

How about they report ALL gun stories. Even the ones where folks use them in self defense, foil a robbery or scare a home invader off. Then lets see how it weighs out.

Save a SeAL, club a liberal!!

Why is everyone here so surpr

April 25, 2007 - 15:56 ET by Beowulf

Why is everyone here so surprised? What Montopoli was really saying is not that there are no anti-gun stories, but that there haven't been enough anti-gun stories. What's the big deal? Apparently none of the 20,000 gun laws we currently have work - Whacko-Cho got a gun didn't he? So if the current laws don't work, let's make up some more. If we take the time and make up just the right gun law, whack-jobs and criminals won't be able to get them anymore, right?

Damn Yankee Cowboy Gun Culture!!!

The Closed Mind Builds Strong Barriers

Twenty years in the Army, now

April 25, 2007 - 16:04 ET by Sua Sponte

Twenty years in the Army, now ten years with a Sheriff's Office and consistently shooting expert.  Is that good enough gun control?  You know...relax, controlled breathing, trigger squeez and put them in a quarter.