Ignorance You Can Count On

The media are human. They make mistakes. We expect "journalists" to give us the facts and to know what they are talking about. Sometimes, their ignorance of a subject ruins an otherwise good story.  

Here's the issue, kids: BB guns don't shoot "bullets". They shoot, wait for it, BB's. Little round balls that anyone who has viewed the Christmas classic movie "Christmas Story" would know. 

Let's all say the classic line, together: "you'll shoot your eye out, kid".

For the kids in the news room, here's a visual:

For comparison, check the news story in the Auburn Star, it makes no mention of "bullets":

https://www.kpcnews.com/thestar/article_96e6026d-04ed-5e05-8919-38b5e91e6466.html

The kids in the WANE 15 news room must have "created" the "bullets" reference on their own...from their "real world" experience with the workings of the world. (sarcasm light is illuminated).

That Other Guy...

Working hard to keep Indiana a two-party state, the Journal Gazette seems to forget about "that other guy" running for Indiana Governor. 

While the Journal Gazette conveniently left his picture on the cutting room floor, the MediaMaven is happy to show you Donald Rainwater the Libertarian candidate who also appears on the ballot running for Governor of Indiana.

Please note that this morning's story does mention Rainwater, giving him the paltry last six lines of the story, with the JG noting the candidate's support for the legalization of marijuana, an obligatory "poison pill" that the media always attaches to any Libertarian candidate (including those running for dog-catcher). That "silver bullet) is designed to discredit any Libertarian candidate among Indiana's "conservative" voters. This, designed to ensure that only Republicans and Democrats will achieve elected office. 

Why? 

Easy. 

The established media has long enjoyed the lazy luxury of pitting one party (and their supporters) against the other and creating conflict and turmoil between them and then reporting that conflict and turmoil for greater readership, more advertising sales, and more profits for the stockholders they are beholden to.  If a third party were to emerge as a substantive threat to the other, more dominant parties, the current "divide and conquer" tactics the media has enjoyed for years would be compromised, and the media industry would have to actually commit journalism to engage their audience.