Noted for the Record: Traffic Cameras
Meanwhile, we have turned into a public-relations society. Much of the news Americans get each day was created to serve just that purpose—to be the news of the day. Many of our headlines come from events created by public relations—press conferences, speeches, press releases, canned reports, and, worst of all, snappy comments by “spokesmen” or “experts.” To serve as a counterpoint, we need reporters with expertise.
— Walter Pincus, Newspaper Narcissism
Three cheers again for the Fairfield County Weekly, which has had a recent trend toward publishing political stories that are interesting but which I had no idea I was interested in before they published the piece. We all know from political friends in the state and long-running discussions on different policy issues which bills to follow in the legislature, which ambitious politicos are looking to move up, which perennial subjects will produce some news and some competing press releases, and so on.
In any case, check out this article about the introduction of roving traffic cameras — the way that they’re changing law enforcement practices, and the new privacy concerns that they’re raising. It involves genuine reporting from sources in no fewer than five different cities, and sets the table for a debate that very few people are interested in having just yet. News of the day week that’s not designed to be the news of the day.