George Stephanopoulos Spreads FEAR FEAR FEAR and MORE FEAR!

[HuckleB]

George Stephanopoulos: Spinmeister Gets Spun
http://freerangekids.wordpress.com/2010/03/06/george-stephanopoulos-spinmeister-gets-spun/#comments

"Maybe you were watching “Good Morning America” today, with its incredible footage of Jaycee Dugard and her family. Jaycee is the 29-year-old who was kidnapped at age 11 and forced to live with her rapist for 18 years, bearing him two children. But, according to George Stephanopoulos, “Jaycee, in some ways, is one of the lucky ones. She finally made it home. But more than 2,000 children are reported missing every day.”

Great sound bite, George — but you got spun. Yes, 2,000 kids are reported missing every day. I’m sure my mom reported me the time I hid in my closet for three hours. (Every time I thought about coming out I felt too guilty, so in I stayed – feeling worse and worse.) The point is: 90% of those missing kids return home that same day. The vast majority of those who don’t come back that night are either runaways — usually teens — or kids taken by a non-custodial parent in a divorce dispute.

Ignore that critical part of the story and the average viewer is left to think, “Oh my god! TWO THOUSAND children are snatched like Jaycee every day! But only Jaycee was lucky enough to get out alive…albeit 18 years later.” Two thousand missing children a day is 730,000 kids a year. But the number of children who are actually kidnapped and held overnight by strangers is, according to FBI stats, 115. Not a day. A YEAR. And 50 of them are killed.

Alas, that’s the way TV news works, and not just on ABC: Tell viewers the worst, avoid any explanation of an extremely alarming statistic, and cut to commercial. “We’ll be back with more after this!”

They always are.

..."


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As an aside, this video addresses the same data very well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BhrNeSJSUE&feature=youtube_gdata


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Why, oh why, do we let the media get away with such ugly, fear-mongering deception?

:mad:

[DJ13]

1. Facism has had a slogan since the late 80's: "Think of the children"

Many repressive laws have been passed in the last 20 years using children as pawns.

That a man like George would go down that path isnt a surprise.

[ChicagoSuz219]

2. If I wasn't sitting by the phone when she called...

...my Mother would report me missing. I'm exaggerating, but not by much... LOL She actually did call the police several times. She would've loved cell phones.

Having said that, even the lower numbers you mentioned is still too high. It's every parents' worst nightmare and it's hard to think of Jaycee as 'lucky.'

Still, I'd rather hear a report on what's being done to protect our kids rather than one propagating fear...

[upi402]

3. A Clinton-Republican whipping up fear in the corporate media?

:rofl: What, you don't expect him to do a story on BushCo war crimes do you?

"I would rather tell seven lies than make one explanation." -Twain

[Ron Green]

4. He's mostly an entertainer,

just not a very good one.

[HuckleB]

5. Entertainment seems to spend a lot of time whipping up fear, too.

[HuckleB]

6. Apparently, some DUers like it when pointless fear is spread.

Why else would anyone unrec this?

[GoCubsGo]

7. Perhaps they're unreccing what Stephie said?

As opposed to unreccing that you pointed it out...

[HuckleB]

9. That is possible.

[HuckleB]

8. A few (and not by any means the best) links that blow up the myth of some of today's parenting fears

http://mommymythbuster.wordpress.com/2008/08/09/myth-11... /

http://mommymythbuster.wordpress.com/2008/08/04/myth-2-... /

http://mommymythbuster.wordpress.com/2009/03/16/myth-25... /

http://mommymythbuster.wordpress.com/2009/04/30/smart-m... /

http://mommymythbuster.wordpress.com/2009/06/01/myth-26... /

http://mommymythbuster.wordpress.com/2009/06/04/myth-28... /

http://web.mac.com/warwickcairns/Site/Home.html

http://www.carlhonore.com /

http://www.heleneguldberg.co.uk/index.php/site/about/3/