Why is Sarah Palin more newsworthy than (knowingly and preventable) poisoned children?

[Joanne]

I bet if the population of Flint was majority white, there would be more outrage, coverage, and action.

 

Wait, I take that back. If the majority population of Flint was white, this wouldn't have happened.

 

[Audrey]

I bet if the population of Flint was majority white, there would be more outrage, coverage, and action.

 

Wait, I take that back. If the majority population of Flint was white, this wouldn't have happened.

 

 

Simple math.  She scores much higher on the freak attraction scale than poisoned children.  And, we all know that a freak show will get more media attention than an actual tragedy or any event of real importance.

Edited January 22, 2016 by Audrey

[Reefgazer]

Because she's great for comedians and Flint isn't.  I'm serious; most people can't pull their eyes away from a train wreck who they can count on to consistently make an ass of herself.  It's like the political version of the Kardashians.

[Lb20inblue]

I bet if the population of Flint was majority white, there would be more outrage, coverage, and action.

 

Wait, I take that back. If the majority population of Flint was white, this wouldn't have happened.

Well said. You took the words out of my head.

[Laurie4b]

For the same reason that football players make so much more money than teachers. 

[Word Nerd]

I've seen much more about Flint this week than Palin.

Edited January 22, 2016 by Word Nerd

[arliemaria]

Any good articles about Flint?  I know there water has been bad for a while, but haven't read much about it.  Help me remedy that.

[gardenmom5]

for the same reason the kardashians are always in the news.  none of them are newsworthy.

[Jean in Newcastle]

 I don't know where you get your news, but I've heard a lot of coverage about Flint.  

[Lanny]

On the U.S.  TV channel  I watch (FNC) I have seen both stories reported.  FAR MORE TIME was devoted to the problems with the Flint MI water system, than to Sarah Palin, on FNC.   I don't know about the other news channels, but FNC was deep into the Flint water system issues. 

 

 

[Pawz4me]

I too have seen much more coverage of Flint than Sarah Palin.  She was a flash for a 24 hour news cycle and (thankfully) has now faded away.  But IMO there hasn't been enough coverage of Flint.  But I guess it's not flashy or dramatic enough.  Sigh.

[Faithr]

Maybe you need to change your news source.  I've heard much more about Flint than Palin.  

[Carrie12345]

I can't really measure because I don't watch "the news".  I click on both fluff and serious stories.  While Flint is of much greater concern to me, I've probably clicked on more comic relief, iykwim.  (Trying not to dance to close too the political rules.)

Edited January 22, 2016 by Carrie12345

[kroe1]

Why are the Kardashians newsworthy at all. It is not a race thing, to me, but a society's infatuation with "stars".

[Pam in CT]

Any good articles about Flint?  I know there water has been bad for a while, but haven't read much about it.  Help me remedy that.

 

It's a long timeline -- one of the issues is that these lead levels have been known for a long time and legislators and policymakers at various levels did not act appropriately.  

 

New York Times on the timeline

 

CNN on resignation of regional EPA administrator following MI governor's release of 250 pages of email related to the issue

[SKL]

I've seen a lot more about the boycott of the award show than about Flint or Palin.

[PrincessMommy]

I've seen FAR more coverage on Flint than Palin. 

 

me too.  Palin's endorsement coverage lasted all of about 2 days??  Just today, in my FB feed (I have several news media in my feed), I've seen about 5-6 articles about it about this ongoing scandal in Flint.   I think NPR has been watching it pretty closely along with the Rahm Emmanuel scandal in Chicago. 

 

The thing with scandals like this is that indepth coverage takes time and effort on the part of the reporters.  Investigations, by officials and reporters, are still ongoing.  

 

This is a slow-burn news item where as Palin/Trump is already yesterday's news.

[bettyandbob]

I've been seeing a low rumble about Flint. It's been consistent. But presented like a footnote and easy to ignore.

 

Palin News has been screaming through the news cycle the last few days.

 

So, I think it's fair to say that Palin is getting more coverage because she's getting what would in newspaper terms be front page above the fold. Flint hasn't been a lead story on television or the radio or in the newspaper here.

[SKL]

The other thing is that the Flint issue doesn't necessarily have national implications.

[Faithr]

Front page story in WSJ is the Flint story.

[Happygrl]

I, too, have seen far more about Flint than Palin in the news.  But on FB (and links posted on FB), I've seen far more about Palin.  

I think there are a lot of reasons why the coverage varies but one thing that stands out to me is that the Palin stories are short, need no background & need no further reading.  The Flint story is more complicated & needs more reading to really understand the full scope of it.  And, so, for some people, its no surprise to me that they are giving more attention to the story that doesn't require more time invested beyond the headline.  
There's also the point that, in the people I'm seeing supporting Palin right now, they are disinclined to read up on the Flint story because "liberals are just trying to blame Republicans" or "it's clearly liberals fault b/c they've been in charge of Flint for so long" or some variation thereof.  They "know" the whole story which is...this is all a political smear.  

[Pam in CT]

I, too, have seen far more about Flint than Palin in the news.  But on FB (and links posted on FB), I've seen far more about Palin.  

 

I think there are a lot of reasons why the coverage varies but one thing that stands out to me is that the Palin stories are short, need no background & need no further reading.  The Flint story is more complicated & needs more reading to really understand the full scope of it.  And, so, for some people, its no surprise to me that they are giving more attention to the story that doesn't require more time invested beyond the headline.  

There's also the point that, in the people I'm seeing supporting Palin right now, they are disinclined to read up on the Flint story because "liberals are just trying to blame Republicans" or "it's clearly liberals fault b/c they've been in charge of Flint for so long" or some variation thereof.  They "know" the whole story which is...this is all a political smear.  

:iagree:

 

Soundbytes are easier to digest.

[Scarlett]

Palin and Trump spoke local to me so they were in my local news for a day or two...but yes I too have heard a lot about Flint. I barely watch it because it upsets me so much.

 

Palin and Trump, like all politicians, only amuse me.

[chiguirre]

Depending on your news sources, the Flint story has been around for a couple of weeks. It's in a bit of a lull at the moment because there's still some debate about the Legionnaire's outbreak and Gov. Snyder hasn't released his 2013 emails. I expect this story to blow up even more if someone can definitively prove the Legionnaire's developed because of the water problem and we get to see exactly how the decision to switch from Lake Huron water via Detroit to Flint River water was made in 2013. Particularly important was the decision to forego the $100/day chemicals that would have preserved the biofilm on the lead pipes. We still don't know how far up the chain of command that decision was made.

 

If you're just learning about the story, Michigan Public Radio did a lot of the early reporting and produced this special:

 

http://michiganradio.org/topic/not-safe-drink#stream/0

[Guest]

I've seen plenty of coverage of both stories

[SKL]

OK but then why this post, which just encourages people to talk more about the thing that isn't newsworthy?

[SKL]

As for whether Palin is "just a pus filled pimple...," I think that might be a little bit political.

[Guest]

But, I agree with the second part. If Flint were a wealthy, white area, this wouldn't have happened.

[Valley Girl]

How about merely a pus filled pimple, lol? Everyone knows the location.

 

There are plenty of disparaging remarks that can be made about political figures on BOTH sides of the spectrum. Do people really want to go there, especially since it would violate board rules (at least to my understanding)? However, there are some good questions being raised in this thread about the issues at hand:

 

Why do "celebrities" of one stripe of another get more coverage of their often silly comments when there are serious issues to discuss?

 

Why wouldn't Flint have happened if it were wealthy and white?

 

How and why did it happen in the first place?

 

How do we fix and prevent this kind of thing?

[SKL]

Yes. She's not in public office. She's an idiot. I deleted the political name. She's in the news because her adult son beat up his girlfriend while brandishing a weapon, and she's now twisting herself in knots trying to make excuses.  I realize good parents can raise kids with major problems, but it's quite hypocritical to position herself as one who does all the "right" things and believes the right way, while her two children act like feral animals.

 

 

She is absolutely a political figure.  It wasn't that long ago that she ran for VP, and she may well be interested in trying again.  She's in the news primarily because of politics.  I think calling her names on this board is a board violation.

 

What's hypocritical is complaining about others spewing "hate" when you aren't exactly expressing love in your posts.

[Carrie12345]

 Doesn't it? When a city appoints a manager( not elected) and they choose to save a couple million and poison an entire population? Don't you think this affects us all in ways? Look in to what's happening now in Congress concerning the Clean Water Act regarding spraying pesticides on water.  These children may be permanently damaged, the federal gov't has become involved, and other cities will now wonder what type of crap has been done to them. These are criminal actions. Many new what was happening and chose not to act. This is not necessarily a racial problem, but it still reeks. Look at the cities that were given these type of emergency-managers, they are overwhelmingly impoverished.

 

 

When I think about the fear I felt while my family went through lead testing (in a poor, mostly black apartment unit) I can't even wrap my brain around the impact of an *entire* large community facing potential neurological damage.

 

I do think it's worth pointing out that lowish-income white people have also been impacted by water poisoning.  The difference is, many were paid for their (unknown) risk, and they have a smaller population density.

[Lady Florida.]

I don't watch news on tv (except for local now and then), but my online news sources have given extensive coverage to Flint. Even the mainstream NBC.com has covered it well.

[poppy]

I think it's fine to keep Palin bubbled up in the news. The more clear it is that she's a joke, the less risk of having her up for national office ever again.

[sparrow]

I understand what you're trying to say, but I disagree. I do believe this happened in Flint because its population majority is black and poor. I have been following Michigan Radio's excellent coverage since the summer of 2014. If I knew what was going on in Flint, Governor Snyder did, too. Now that mainstream media has picked up the story, I'm seeing coverage everywhere. I've seen blips of Palin, but nothing on the level of Flint. It took a while nationally, but people are definitely outraged.

[Valley Girl]

She's in the news because her adult son beat up his girlfriend while brandishing a weapon, and she's now twisting herself in knots trying to make excuses.  I realize good parents can raise kids with major problems, but it's quite hypocritical to position herself as one who does all the "right" things and believes the right way, while her two children act like feral animals.

 

I totally get that and don't necessarily disagree. My problem is when discussions start to devolve into pointless name-calling and such. It comes at the expense of substantive conversation. I guess I'm overly sensitive to it these days because it's so hard to get away from that kind of thing. In the media, BOTH the left and the right resort to name-calling and smears instead of sticking to issues and legitimate criticism. We see it here in the forum, too, from BOTH the left and the right at times depending on the topic. And then again, some of us see it in real life as well from people on BOTH the left and the right. It just doesn't further debate, and it doesn't persuade anyone. It's a cheap way of avoiding real talk in my opinion.

 

Anyway, I hope you have a good day, Dot. Sincerely. I'm taking my irritable self off to have a donut. That should help. Sorry for the derail, folks.

 

[Kim in Appalachia]

I've seen more about Flint, and it's something that caught my attention quickly because our town recently changed it's water supply. They had to because they couldn't pass water safety tests with the last supply.  But the new water supply has been damaging the town's water pipes.  There have been burst pipes everywhere supposedly because of something in the new water supply.  But they say it's safe.... :huh: 

 

I think Flint is the beginning of a problem.  Many areas have either exhausted their existing supply or their existing supply is too poisoned. And to top it off there is zero money for infrastructure.  

 

It's all depressing.   

[Word Nerd]

The people who complain the loudest about Fox curiously know a lot about what is on it all day long.

[Pam in CT]

re: why it's not just Flint's problem

I've seen more about Flint, and it's something that caught my attention quickly because our town recently changed it's water supply. They had to because they couldn't pass water safety tests with the last supply.  But the new water supply has been damaging the town's water pipes.  There have been burst pipes everywhere supposedly because of something in the new water supply.  But they say it's safe.... :huh:

 

I think Flint is the beginning of a problem.  Many areas have either exhausted their existing supply or their existing supply is too poisoned. And to top it off there is zero money for infrastructure.  

 

It's all depressing.   

 

Kim, I "liked" your post, but not, certainly, because I like what's happening in your own area.

 

We have water issues across the nation.  In some areas it's associated with drought, in other areas it's associated with contaminants in the water table, in some areas it's associated with changes in the snowcap that feeds the annual supply.  It warrants both nationwide coordination of water test results/best conservation practices/dissemination of technologies that reduce leakage& waste etc and also a national conversation about the factors that are driving the  problems.

[Pawz4me]

The people who complain the loudest about Fox curiously know a lot about what is on it all day long.

 

Unfortunately, unless you're a recluse it's difficult to avoid it around here.  As stated above it tends to be on TVs at car repair places, in medical waiting rooms, restaurants, etc.

 

I agree that the Flint story deserves LOTS of national attention if for no other reason than the infrastructure angle.  They're far from alone in having a failing water system.

 

[goldberry]

I think there are a lot of reasons why the coverage varies but one thing that stands out to me is that the Palin stories are short, need no background & need no further reading.  The Flint story is more complicated & needs more reading to really understand the full scope of it.  

 

This is very true.  DD17 is not a reader.  I have been trying to engage her in current events, because I believe it's important for a functioning adult.  I assigned her a couple of stories (both pro and con) about the Bundy/Oregon thing.  The first thing she did was come in, "Do you see how long this is?  Do you expect me to read all of this?" *sigh*

 

I ended up finding some shorter stories and then discussing the issue verbally.  But as an adult, no one is going to be around forcing her to do that. 

[Faithr]

Around here it is CNN always on every TV that is imposing itself on me at every turn.  I hate the omnipresent TVs.  But honestly I could say the same thing about CNN that people say about FOX (though I never watch FOX).

[ashfern]

I follow Erin Brokovich on FB so I've known about the Flint issue for awhile. Like others said it's not the only place having water quality problems. Palin is in the news because she endorsed a candidate for president. 

[Pam in CT]

re: complex issues v sound bytes

This is very true.  DD17 is not a reader.  I have been trying to engage her in current events, because I believe it's important for a functioning adult.  I assigned her a couple of stories (both pro and con) about the Bundy/Oregon thing.  The first thing she did was come in, "Do you see how long this is?  Do you expect me to read all of this?" *sigh*

 

I ended up finding some shorter stories and then discussing the issue verbally.  But as an adult, no one is going to be around forcing her to do that. 

 

Keep the faith.  The very fact that you're modeling the practice of looking at different sides of an issue, and expecting her to do the same before coming to a conclusion, and acknowledging that complexity exists and not everything is So Simple! that it's reducible to a soundbyte, will have an effect.  

 

Sure, no one will be "forcing" her to seek out nuance or history or context, but so long as she's developed the thought process to seek it out, there will be non-written sources for her to go to.  There are already multiple routes to in-depth information, many of them auditory and visual; I expect that will only increase as she comes into adulthood.

[Rachel]

I've been hearing about Flint off and on for several weeks. I believe I sent my husband a link to the story about a month ago. I read a couple quips about Palin in the past week when she endorced Trump, but that was online, not on the radio or TV. I do try my best to get my news from a variety of sources even though they all seem to share the same stories.

[maize]

Another who has heard way more about Flint than Palin.

[Susan Wise Bauer]

If you talk about water and pollution, the thread stays up. Politics, it comes down.

[SproutMamaK]

Have you seen the pictures of the Detroit schools? Children do not seem to be high on their priority list.  :sad: Get it together people.  :ack2:  :cursing:

 

http://usuncut.com/class-war/detroit-teachers-want-you-to-see-these-disturbing-photos/

 

Unbelievably, according to this the emergency manager who changed Flint's water source and decided not to treat it and covered it up, etc, is the same guy who is charge of Detroit's public school and has made the decisions that lead to those conditions. How is he allowed to continue doing this? It's deeply disturbing. ETA: after reading more research it looks like the emergency manager is living quite the high life, too. High salary, private chauffered car, and his own security team for when he actually has to venture out in to the field and see the conditions other people are forced to live in.

Edited January 22, 2016 by SproutMamaK

[Laura Corin]

On the BBC North America front page, Palin is above Flint and three times the size.  There is a certain fascination with her.....

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world/us_and_canada

Edited January 22, 2016 by Laura Corin

[luuknam]

Unbelievably, according to this the emergency manager who changed Flint's water source and decided not to treat it and covered it up, etc, is the same guy who is charge of Detroit's public school and has made the decisions that lead to those conditions. How is he allowed to continue doing this? It's deeply disturbing.

 

I agree that they should put a different person in charge. That said, DPS has major financial issues... according to the Economist, they get $7450/student, of which $4400 goes to debt payments - half or so to unfunded pension liabilities. And they're losing students very rapidly (wonder why, ahem), so they have fewer and fewer resources to deal with those issues. Not sure why they keep paying their debts though rather than just defaulting on those and doing their job first.

[Guest]

I have relatives (white ones too) in Flint. This isn't some minority only problem that is getting hushed up???

 

The Palin bashing and Fox bashing is obnoxious though (and I can't stand the former and don't partake in the latter). Either we have rules about this on here or we don't, which is it?

 

Pollution and corruption are ongoing issues we cannot ignore, and I am glad of the coverage of it in print media and online. I hope real changes come now, even though Flint has been in trouble as long as I've lived. For the sake of our family who cannot move elsewhere and everyone else in that position, they deserve clean and safe water and basic civil maintenance.