#27 Mirrors: Seeing Things From a Different Point of View

In 1999, Kim Peterson received a very important phone call. At the other end of the line was the Levy couple, the parents of the recently missing girl Chandra. Kim Peterson works for a corporation known as the Carole Sund/Carrington Memorial Reward Foundation, a group that assists families (whose loved ones are missing or have been murdered) with controlling the media. Although the news crews appeared desperate for the story at first - Kim's phones rang nonstop; the Levy family was constantly flanked by security guards; and one cameraman tripped over a planter while walking backwards in an attempt to get a shot of the Levys walking to their car.  - after a while, they began to work together and help the family out. They shared camera shots so that the parents didn't have to tell their story more than once or twice or have to move to another location. According to Kim Peterson, the crews and reporters never argued over who got the first shot or the best location; they treated the Levys with great compassion both on and off camera. They may not have known exactly what the Levys were dealing with, but they handled their situation delicately. And then the rumors started up, claiming that Chandra Levy was in a secret relationship with Congressman Gary Condit. The reporters took a small break from being nice and, finding a picture of Chandra, a friend, and the congressman, they cut the friend out of the picture so that it looked like it was only a picture of Chandra and her supposed lover. This influenced the public, confusing them. They didn't know whether they were supposed to side with Chandra or not. And it just made it worse when the reporters came out with unconfirmed theories as to how and where Chandra had been killed and buried. It devastated the family every time they had to look up at the television screen and realize that the reporters could be right.

I was surprised to find that the reporters were at one point very considerate and kind to the Levy family. Few people in the media, it seems, take time out of their busy jobs to make sure they're not harming the people they're actually supposed to be helping. And then they just went and ruined it all by completely crushing the family. Their rumor-based stories are obnoxious. I do realize that the media believes they must do whatever it takes to get the story, but taking things out of context and without thought for the victim's family is completely inconsiderate.

The Chandra Levy Story
Chandra Levy Case Video link

#26 Racial Profiling?

Trayvon was only fourteen years old when he was stopped by a police officer and told to stand against the wall, arms over his head. Why was he stopped? The cop thought it was suspicious that the dark-skinned, young man was walking around with a hoodie over his head.

I think this is ridiculous. To have someone be stopped by a policeman just because he's black and is wearing a hood is racist. He or she hasn't done anything wrong, and the cop has no evidence that he's done anything wrong, so why was he asked to halt and place his hands above his head? It's a truly curious thing how some people can think that this is an okay thing to do.

http://www.wnyc.org/shows/rookies/2012/mar/23/