While out walking today, Mrs H and I found ourselves chatting about the Nicola Bulley story and how the media won't let go of it. They seem to take hold of certain stories which are not particularly uncommon events, but then they go banging on about it for days.
It's a horrible tragedy for family and friends of course, but unfortunately people disappear all the time. A few years ago we saw a number of posters about a local chap who just disappeared for no obvious reason. It didn't make the national news, but as far as we can tell most of these cases don't.
Yet the media appear to have blown up the Nicola Bulley disappearance way beyond its wider significance. It is not even clear if this level of attention is helpful for the family - probably not.
Why the media do this from time to time is an interesting question. It just seems to happen, as if nobody decided to push the story hard, but once a certain level of momentum was there it couldn't be ignored.
Maybe it is also an easy story to cover or maybe they prefer not to cover certain other stories.
Why the media do this from time to time is an interesting question. It just seems to happen, as if nobody decided to push the story hard, but once a certain level of momentum was there it couldn't be ignored.
Maybe it is also an easy story to cover or maybe they prefer not to cover certain other stories.
7 comments:
There must be some deep psychological reason for this phenomena. Of course, the fact that she comes from a very wealthy family may have something to do with it?
Slow news time. Need to fill the column inches.
Tammly - I'd have expected it to go the other way apart from famous people. Easier to invade the privacy of ordinary folk, but perhaps it's not so.
James - that may be it. If they all go for the same story it seems bigger too.
The Covid panic is over. Ukraine is slow. We've not had a change of Head of State or Head of Government for months. No juicy divorces at the moment and the trans-bollocks is a Scottish story. Therefore Murder Most Foul (if that's what it turns out to be).
For no reason I understand the current rate of excess deaths (many Shipmans per week) doesn't count as a story. Strange, eh?
dearieme - I keep a regular eye on the excess deaths data and yes, it is strange that it doesn't count as a story. This one could run and run but it doesn't.
We are all Midsomer now. The place where strange murders happen but no other crimes.
DJ - all we need now are women riding bicycles with a basket on the front while retired colonels cast suspicious glances over the hedge.
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