The Fine Line Between Trauma Porn and News

At what point do news organizations go beyond reporting, providing us with the information we need about horrific and traumatic events, and plunge head first into Exploitative Bullshit Land?

I appreciate the helicopter shots of all the white hazmat suited men and women combing Copley Square for clues and evidence. OK, it freaks me out but it’s good to see the folks at work.

I can’t stand the interviews with eight year olds. ‘Were you scared?’ What’s the point of this? To rip out our hearts even farther? To boost ratings? Did they run out of attractive, victimized adults to bother?

How many pics of bloodied bodies with fearless yet fearful helpers hovering all around, do we honestly need to see? One? Three? 7,000?

When is the line between need-to-know/basic human interest and Trauma Porn crossed?

DA Dan Conley: ‘What happened yesterday was an act of cowardice.’

cowardice  [kou-er-dis]
Part of Speech: noun
Definition:  lack of courage to face danger, difficulty, opposition, pain, etc.
timidity

I just never understand this sentiment. How is blowing up the Boston Marathon an example of chicken-heartedness? I realize our elected officials are under pressure to come up with comforting, hopeful and encouraging words for us, the traumatized populace but, this trope? Dunno. It always strikes me as a bizarre take. It sounds, to me anyway, like a kid who’s just taken a whuppin’ and is trying to save face with his pals. It seems weak.

A Saudi man, injured just like everyone else in the stands, was interviewed while in hospital for his shrapnel wounds (dunno how extensive they were). His apartment was thoroughly searched.

Last night, a phalanx of officers from the FBI, ATF and Boston swarmed the fifth-floor apartment in Revere’s Ocean Shores Tower in what residents said was a startling show of force just hours after the horrific Boston Marathon double bombing.

In addition to two Boston Police K-9 units and a bomb squad unit, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as well as Homeland Security investigators and state police also assembled at the two buildings on Ocean Avenue in Revere.

His roommate had this to say of him:

“He’s sweet and kind and a good person,” Mohammed Hassan Bada, 20, of Saudi Arabia of his roommate, who he said is a 22-year-old also from Saudi Arabia, here to study English in Boston.

and

“I was scared,” he said.

He said he had lived with the hospitalized man, and another 19-year-old Saudi man, for five months at the apartment in Revere. He said the 19-year-old was traveling in New York yesterday.

“My roommates are good people,” he said.

Why was this man picked out of the crowd? He’s brown and from the Middle East. Duh. Of course! It MUST be him because, ya know, the Boston Marathon doesn’t attract people of all colors, from all over the world...said no one, ever.
While in this fevered rush to find the perp(s) I sure as hell hope the authorities aren’t overlooking the Timothy McVeigh types. You know, angry, disgruntled white folks who think the Ted Nugents and Rush Limbaughs of this country are visionary leaders instead of the vile, scum-sucking, narcissistic, attention whoring mega grifter, rabble rousing, piles of roach excrement that they REALLY are.

THIS human interest bit I liked! From Rachel Maddow's blog:

Saeed Jones highlighted a detail that I found noteworthy: there are three main officers seen in the foreground of this image, and the one on our right is Javier Pagan, who is Latino, gay, and the Boston Police Department's LGBT liaison.

His husband is a retired NYPD sergeant, who helped rescue people on September 11, 2001.

The fellow on the ground who’s being helped up?

A photo of the 78-year-old Washington state man lying dazed before a group of police officers went viral — one of countless images depicting the shock and confusion of the twin bombings that killed three people and injured dozens at the race.

Iffrig, who was running in his third Boston Marathon, said he was “feeling pretty good” about his time when he saw the finish line in sight about 15 feet away. Then he heard a blast and his body trembled.

He said he was never unconscious, but it took a few seconds to get his bearings. Cops standing before Iffrig, who was in a bright orange tank top, quickly mobilized.

“I made an attempt to get up, and one of the assistants came over and gave me a hand,” Iffrig said. “He went over and walked me to the finish line so I can finish.”

Dude’s 78 years old, knocked over by the blast and he just wants to get up and finish his run. I can only dream of being that strong and stoic.

Maybe when I grow up.