I don’t usually address politics, but the media thing has gotten completely out of hand, and now, for me, it’s personal. A friend died Sunday, and the local media made her look like an eccentric fool. The original article about the house fire by The Hour News went above and beyond in painting a picture of a hopeless hoarder who brought about her own demise, and neighbors with a “meh” attitude toward the tragedy. In my humble opinion, they can take this article and (ahem) shove it in a place where solids are typically eliminated. And that’s much kinder than how another one of our friends put it on Twitter today!
The original article that ran yesterday revealing her identity was just as bad, as they went into details not only of hoarding and the poor state of her home, but went further to describe leins and digging into her financial situation. Never mind that a person passed away. Neighbors said she was reclusive, so let’s paint the dirtiest picture we can. They never even got her age right, because she was 20 years younger than they originally posted, and they never corrected that. The article was rewritten by the time I sat down to supper, after an outpouring from her 5,000+ Twitter fans expressing grief over a kind, dear friend who encouraged and inspired so many others lost, and her missing parrot.
It seems that The Hour learned about the power of the Internet and social media yesterday, and I’m darn proud to be part of that movement. Suddenly, she was a human being that people other than her daughter cared about a lot, and more of the world was watching than they imagined from this person that they vilified. Officials went back into the house and confirmed that they found a cage but no bird, and “neighbors” are looking for the bird now that a #prayersforpenne and #insearchofpenne campaigns have been launched.
Screw you. Proximity does not make a neighbor anymore. It’s pitiful enough that the local media went to extremes to create a sensational headline, but the fact that you didn’t think to look for the bird in the first place? You knew she had Penne. She took him outside for flight practice – I know because she proudly shared the pictures on Twitter. Amazon parrots don’t hang out just anywhere, and you know they’re domestic birds. Why did it take 5,000 strangers from other parts of the country and even outside of the United States to inspire the people IN HER NEIGHBORHOOD do the right thing?
Here's one more thing to think about: parrots have the intelligence of a two to five year old child. You better believe that if Penne were a child, they wouldn't have had to go back to look for them, because they'd have been out there since Sunday morning. That poor bird, if he's alive, is scared, alone, cold, and just lost his human "mommy" in a scary tragedy. But what do I know? It's just a bird. Yes, I rolled my eyes. Get over it.
This was a human being that perished in a tragic accident. There are people grieving over her loss. And Penne (her Amazon) was just as beloved. We’re worried about him and pray he’s ok. These aren’t just passing headlines. These are lives that are happening every day, and they’re touching others in ways you can’t imagine unless you live it. So screw you, media. President Trump is right: you need to report the news. Period. No opinions. No “spin.” No bias. That’s what journalism is. This incident has proven that you don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re too busy putting your “spin” on the story to grab a headline from tragedy, and you’re trying to boost your own ego in the process. You’ve gotten away with this nonsense for too long and are becoming useless. Your blatant disregard for the person you portrayed in this situation makes it look like you aren’t decent human beings. Are you? If so, then prove it. Do the right thing, and be accountable. Stop trying to be superstars and start telling us what’s actually happening in the world like you’re supposed to.
Our love and prayers go to Alice’s family and friends. We still can’t believe it’s happened and we grieve with you, so you aren’t alone. I pray that Penne is found safe and healthy.
That’s all today.
Bye!
The original article that ran yesterday revealing her identity was just as bad, as they went into details not only of hoarding and the poor state of her home, but went further to describe leins and digging into her financial situation. Never mind that a person passed away. Neighbors said she was reclusive, so let’s paint the dirtiest picture we can. They never even got her age right, because she was 20 years younger than they originally posted, and they never corrected that. The article was rewritten by the time I sat down to supper, after an outpouring from her 5,000+ Twitter fans expressing grief over a kind, dear friend who encouraged and inspired so many others lost, and her missing parrot.
It seems that The Hour learned about the power of the Internet and social media yesterday, and I’m darn proud to be part of that movement. Suddenly, she was a human being that people other than her daughter cared about a lot, and more of the world was watching than they imagined from this person that they vilified. Officials went back into the house and confirmed that they found a cage but no bird, and “neighbors” are looking for the bird now that a #prayersforpenne and #insearchofpenne campaigns have been launched.
Screw you. Proximity does not make a neighbor anymore. It’s pitiful enough that the local media went to extremes to create a sensational headline, but the fact that you didn’t think to look for the bird in the first place? You knew she had Penne. She took him outside for flight practice – I know because she proudly shared the pictures on Twitter. Amazon parrots don’t hang out just anywhere, and you know they’re domestic birds. Why did it take 5,000 strangers from other parts of the country and even outside of the United States to inspire the people IN HER NEIGHBORHOOD do the right thing?
Here's one more thing to think about: parrots have the intelligence of a two to five year old child. You better believe that if Penne were a child, they wouldn't have had to go back to look for them, because they'd have been out there since Sunday morning. That poor bird, if he's alive, is scared, alone, cold, and just lost his human "mommy" in a scary tragedy. But what do I know? It's just a bird. Yes, I rolled my eyes. Get over it.
This was a human being that perished in a tragic accident. There are people grieving over her loss. And Penne (her Amazon) was just as beloved. We’re worried about him and pray he’s ok. These aren’t just passing headlines. These are lives that are happening every day, and they’re touching others in ways you can’t imagine unless you live it. So screw you, media. President Trump is right: you need to report the news. Period. No opinions. No “spin.” No bias. That’s what journalism is. This incident has proven that you don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re too busy putting your “spin” on the story to grab a headline from tragedy, and you’re trying to boost your own ego in the process. You’ve gotten away with this nonsense for too long and are becoming useless. Your blatant disregard for the person you portrayed in this situation makes it look like you aren’t decent human beings. Are you? If so, then prove it. Do the right thing, and be accountable. Stop trying to be superstars and start telling us what’s actually happening in the world like you’re supposed to.
Our love and prayers go to Alice’s family and friends. We still can’t believe it’s happened and we grieve with you, so you aren’t alone. I pray that Penne is found safe and healthy.
That’s all today.
Bye!
RSS Feed