An article in The Star today tells us to stop focusing on headlines (ironic no? ) and recognize that things make the headlines because they are less likely to happen on a regular basis;
A: I call that “headline bias” – when something makes the news, people think it happens a lot. But the reason something makes the headlines is because it doesn’t happen a lot.
To my mind, public reaction is not in co-ordination with the actual statistics.
Toronto is actually quite a safe city, better than most American and Canadian cities. And the level of violent crime has stayed pretty steady over the past few years.
Having moved from fairly small Lindsay to fairly big Hamilton, I can’t say I feel any less safe here. And so in the spirit of the article enjoy some Bobby Mcferrin;
FEAR.
Crime was the lowest in 2006, than in 30 years.
Why do they want us so a’skeered……?
Don’t have to answer that. (We are just so much better behaved that way. lol)
(Hi, fellow small-town Hamiltonian import! :lol:)
See, it’s not just the (lower) crime stats that are frustrating about “headline bias” (and yes, my head explodes to think about the layers that must be unpacked as The Star is telling us not to worry about what they’re shoving in our faces), it’s that it contributes to the assumption that the stuff that happens *every day* doesn’t actually happen, because if it did, wouldn’t we hear about it? So intimate partner violence, child abuse, sexual violence, etc…unless there’s some exciting and horrifying spin on it, it’s too banal to talk about on a regular basis.
But it would be damn nice to see newspapers actually taking some responsibility for the kind of discourse they’re creating.
Hi April – there’s a new Save Community Access group on Facebook. Word on the street is that the Feds are really going to cancel the CAPS program this time, so anything we all can do…
For more info, check out Telecommunities Canada…i’m just looking for the new facebook Save CAP now
Thanks for the info!