#1513: Fires rages in Haitian city of Jeremie - Stephen follows up on Benson

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From: Brown, Stephen MR <brownst@soc.mil>

Apropos LeGrace Benson's commentary, the journalistic mentality seizes on
the simplistic perceptual device of absolutes and ordinals (1st, last;
worst, best; richest, poorest) as the easiest way to establish a common
denominator to establish the newsworthiness and/or notoriety of some topic
in the minds of the reader/viewer.  Haiti is not the only target of this
sort of cant which insults our intelligence with trite intelligence. An
example far from Corbettiana is the sordid murder case of Rae Carruth (who
is always referred to a a "first round draft pick of the Carolina
Panthers.") Does this mean a second round pick goes on page 2?  Editors and
news services should be told that we disapprove of  making disingenuous
labeling of Haiti masquerade as factual illumination.

From: Steve Brown <brownst@soc.mil>