All That Is Not News

Here is an open letter to the news media in the Nashville area. “Everything that happens is not news.” An infamous group of societal misfits is planning a “protest” in Shelbyville and Murfreesboro. Another misguided group is staging a “counter protest” to the protest.

The ironic thing is that I am not sure that I, or anyone else, the groups included, is completely cognizant of what specifically is being protested. But if XYZ group is protesting, ZYX is going to respond. (Mirror image designation is deliberate.)

Anyone is free to protest under the free speech and expression accorded by our Constitution, but every protest is not news worthy. The news outlets do not park their trucks outside the live theaters to report on murders, muggings, and other malevolencies (is that a word? Spell checker underlined it.) malevolent acts that occur in the plays, operas, and other presentations.

They “happen” but they ain’t news. Everything that happens is not news. Shev’ul and the Boro will present competing theater, but no news. Stay away.

If something untoward does occur, treat it like any other news event. Dispatch a truck or reporter to let us know what happened. We do not need an on-scene, play-by-play account of the foolishness. All that, is not news.

The media do not station resources on I-40 junctions to catch the latest semi trailer as it overturns. It is sufficient to cover it after the fact. Our protesting protesters may turn out to be like the thousands of semis that navigate the tricky turns without incident. And there will be no provocation provided by free publicity.

Let’s not make the headline of our media a play on the New York Times: “All that is not news.”