Mainstream Media Vultures Descend on Families in the Wake of a Tragedy

By Greg Campbell
TPNN Contributor

Obama lackey and current Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel once famously quipped, “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.” And in this modern, deeply-divided country, the media and politicians have taken that message to heart.

While the looming threat of increased gun control laws hover over freedom-loving Americans like a thick, choking cloud of opportunism, the leftist media and their associated political figures have swooped in to feed on the grief and emotional turmoil of a community that seeks to comprehend the enormity of the loss after Friday’s shooting in Connecticut.

While America witnessed the emerging details of heroic teachers saving children, we also witnessed the worst of what the mainstream media has to offer. This is an historic event, certainly, but with the grace of a bull in a china shop, the media has pounced on traumatized children, grieving parents and a community torn apart.

ABC News editorial producer Nadine Shubailat, who is responsible for arranging interviews, recently received a stark rebuttal from a concerned member of the Newtorn community.

On Friday, Twitter user @artayd2 wrote,

“Good friend of mine lives < 10 minutes from Sandy Hook Elementary and has a daughter in kindergarten. Trying to get a hold of him.”

Shubailat, sensing a scoop, asked,

“[C]an we talk to your friend who lives in Sandy Hook and whose daughter goes to kindergarten? I’m w [with] ABC News.”

This man, concerned that a family friend’s daughter might have been murdered, was targeted by a vulture in the media. His response? (Strong language ahead) “eat a d*ck”.

The screen capture quickly made the rounds on the web- a testament to the public outrage over the insensitivity of a media that has boundary issues.

In Newtown, Connecticut State Troopers have been assigned to grieving families to shield them from incessant media inquiries. In a press conference, Connecticut State Trooper spokesman LT. Paul Vance pled with media outlets to leave grieving families alone, saying,

“[The Family members] have asked for you all to please respect their privacy. They are going through, as I know you understand, a very difficult and trying time. We have, in fact… reassigned a trooper to these folks to help to maintain that solitude. So, again, I am asking you and pleading with you, as you know this is an extremely heartbreaking and difficult thing for these folks to endure, to please abide by their requests.”

What does it say about the dearth of ethics in the mainstream media that they have to be warded off by state troopers so that they don’t harass children and grieving families who suffered a tremendous tragedy?

The media has pounced on the victims of this tragedy, looking to satisfy their viewers and readers with tales of anguish while others look to progress a radical agenda to “strike while the iron is hot.” As Newtown deals with scavengers looking to capitalize on their anguish, the rest of the country is forced to endure the vultures promoting an anti-gun agenda, hoping to create laws and draft off of knee-jerk reactions and sentiment.

The best description of the media’s bush-league behavior came from Wesley Lowery, a reporting fellow at the L.A. Times when he noted on Facebook:

“It may not be the day to discuss (insert political hot button issue), but for those of us in media, it’s certainly the day to discuss how we cover tragedy. Today we’ve created an echo chamber, interviewed children who witnessed a mass shooting, fed speculation, libeled a man who was not the shooter and created confusion. We can do better.”

Indeed.