Saturday 31 January 2009

shocking journalism

There was much rustling of the newspaper today at work, tight knots of people drawn into huddled conversations, hushed voices exclaiming disbelief, outrage, and sorrow.

The murder of a little girl hit this area hard. It was the first homicide since 1993, and matricide made it particularly shocking.

The papers have written graphic accounts of Statements of Facts given at the courthouse, and now the entire province knows exactly what happened the night of January 27, 2008.

I understand that knowing, facing the demon, lets us excise our own fears of what happened (although I doubt many of us thought anything worse that what actually did)
- and this is the axe of journalism; 'How can you know if we don't tell you?' the whitened teeth and artfully lacquered hair of what makes the news disturbing, and makes people sit up and take notice and want action! and to change the world!

but still

but still



I daresay many of us would have felt compassion for the victim and outrage for the criminal without the mental picture of Winnie The Pooh underpants on a crumpled body.



God save her family.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

I thought of you when reading this story a few days ago and how close it was to you. THere's been too much horrific news lately involving children. My heart hurts just reading it.

crazymumma said...

yeah, I gotta admit that winnie the pooh reference made me cringe. a little too much information.

may she rest in peace.

SUEB0B said...

You'd be surprised how much anguish goes on in newsrooms over what to leave in and what to leave out. A lot depends on the editor. I had more than one story that I sobbed over. One because of a headline that made a little girl's death - which I thought I had handled quite respectfully, as did her parents - seem sordid when it was not. I showed up on their porch clutching the paper, crying, and they took me in and comforted ME. It is a weird business sometimes. I still pray for those people all the time.

Lala said...

I think about what it took for that woman to do that, the fear, the ignorance and it just scares the hell out of me.

kimmyk said...

i think the winnie the pooh reference made her more juvenile like she was still a "little girl" of sorts.

i didn't hear about this story here in the states. when reading the article (you provided) it broke my heart when she was recalling that her daughter said "mommy don't". as a mother i can't even fathom the very idea especially for the love of a man. i mean, my GOD. what a horrible horrible woman. that poor lil' girl...

Anonymous said...

How very sad...

Anonymous said...

What a horrible, horrible woman.

Rest in Peace Karissa.

Anonymous said...

You know what makes me sick is to think that she made a conscious choice between her own flesh and blood and a man. We live in a sad society when having a companion is more important than being a mother.Raise your girls stong and indenpendent.Such a sad story.

mamatulip said...

I can't read it.

I remember reading about her when she went missing; it was only last week that I learned of what happened to her. Of WHO happened to her.

It breaks my heart, it makes my entire body ache. It truly does.

BabelBabe said...

"Mommy,, don't."

OH. MY. GOD.

I am such a pacifist, and totally against capital punishment. But for a moment, I hoped with all my heart that you guys have capital punishment up there.

Poor, poor little girl. To know your mama loves some man more than she loves you. There had better be a special circle in hell for that little one's mother. Crazy as my boys may make me, I would kill ANYONE, I would kill MYSELF, before I harmed a hair on their heads.

Unknown said...

Unbelievable. I just can't fathom that. Who could you possibly love more than your own children??

meggie said...

The whole affair, beggars all 'normal' people's belief.
It is quite as hideous as our story of the father who murdered his little girl, by throwing her off a bridge.

A couple of big blows

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