Other avenues for news

I was looking at the news today, and I was dismayed to see some of the stories that are being followed.  This isn't a new thing either.  Kevin was watching a video of some African Americans who destroyed a Confederate flag on a person's truck, and then flashed a "Black Power" flag instead.  Really?  This type of behavior irritates me because IT gets coverage instead of coverage of the five military personnel who died in Chattanooga, Tennessee.  So, it was after scrolling through the news choices on the applications that I follow that I decided to stop reading my local papers.

My kids and I have often had the discussion about American news outlets, and I believe that Jack has even concluded that a lot of the stories are the ones that garner the most controversy.  Case in point, every day we are bombarded with news updates about an incident that happened here in Texas regarding a person who was arrested and then later died suspiciously.  It has received ALOT of media attention, I would hope for several reasons other than the fact it was a white police officer and an African American woman. I truly hope that both sides of the story will come out in the investigation (which I believe it already has: she was somewhat verbally combative, the officer didn't follow certain aspects of the DPS policy).   However, the death of a young lady, on an outing with family, at the hands of an illegal immigrant who was sent out of the United States FIVE times receives the minimal coverage.  So did the five military men who died recently.  What about the increased drownings of children in Texas this summer?  I believe we (Texas) ranks the highest with child drownings in the U.S. this year.  Why aren't we hearing about the best ways to protect your children from that happening?  I mean, because paying attention to the kids that aren't wearing flotation devices and can't swim is a little bit important.  Also, what about the first case of West Nile in our county?  I got one update about it, and a story yesterday, but it's already been relegated to the bottom of the news.   I'm not saying that the incident here in Texas with the young lady hanging herself in her jail cell isn't important, but the way it is being covered is questionable. It has headlined longer than other local stories that are just as important, and sometimes that hinders an investigation.

So, I have decided that when I see stories on the web about people who are defacing historical monuments (whether you agree or not), I won't read them.  That brings on a whole other topic for me.  I believe that people's feelings of entitlement in today's society lets them think that they can vandalize a public place or other people's property simply because they can.  But when they have charges brought against them what do they do?  They go straight to the news media and say that their rights as an American have been violated.  Obviously, they didn't pay attention in school during Government class.

I am also going to start searching for media outlets that are a bit more varied in their news, and don't try to encourage division amongst Americans.  If that means that I have to start reading foreign news outlets to get an objective look on what's happening in the U.S., then so be it.