Media bullshit: Violent 4-year-old edition

There truly are two sides to every story: the truth, and the bullshit. (Hey, no-one said they had to be equally valid sides.) Here’s a perfect example: Watch how a story about gun violence is reported by a CBS affiliate … and then what really happened. (Hint: No, the 4-year-old boy did not want to grow up to be a gang-banger.)

My transcript: (click the [+/-] to expand/collapse →)

[−]

Relevant excerpts:

CBS REPORTER: And kids on the street as young as four were there to see it all [the gun violence] unfold and had disturbing reactions.

[START VIDEO: Interview with 4-year-old boy]

BOY: I’m not scared of nothing.

[cut]

REPORTER: When you get older, you gonna stay away from all these guns?

BOY: No.

REPORTER: No?

BOY: No.

REPORTER: What do you wanna do when you get older?

BOY: I’m gonna have me a gun.

[CUT]

FEMALE WITNESS: Because I live right here and I don’t want none of my family members to get shot.

[END VIDEO]

ANCHOR 1: That is very scary indeed.

[…]

[START VIDEO: Unedited interview with 4-year-old boy]

REPORTER: […] When you get older, you gonna stay away from all these guns?

BOY: No.

REPORTER: No?

BOY: No.

REPORTER: What do you wanna do when you get older?

BOY: I’m gonna have me a gun.

REPORTER: You are? Why you wanna do that?

BOY: I’m gonna be the police.

REPORTER: Okay, well, then, you can have one.

[END VIDEO]

Journalism, eh?

(via Political Irony)

Tags: CBS • guns