| Aug 2, 2007 @ 12:25 AM |
Bridge over troubled Waters... News Sensationalism
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Dovestreasure
Posts: 3,419
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I am sure that you all have heard by now about the Tragedy in Minneapolis where a bridge collaped and at least six people have been killed and several others critically injured. The images of twisted steel and concrete and cars pancaked on each other or tossed into the misissippi river were chilling to see. Yes this is an important story to tell. What followed after was what disturbed me.
Each local news station just had to find away to tie this story into some local angle. They all sent reporters out to local bridges to question their safety and report on bridge collapes that have happenned in Central florida history. They made mention of the new 408 and I-4 interchange that is under construction and they talked about the bridge going over the Saint Johns River. Once again the media is a source of alarmist jouralism. We already have some of the angriest drivers on our roadways in our state. Now toss in some "lets be scared about our safety" everytime we cross over a bridge. Why make one tragic news story into a source of fear for their local viewers.
Please simply report the news and not turn every sad turn of events into a media circus. Instead come up with how people in our viewing area can help those affected by the bridge collapsing.
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| Aug 2, 2007 @ 12:10 PM |
Bridge over troubled Waters... News Sensationalism |
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devoe810
Posts: 96
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Its one of the reasons why I turned TV news off years ago. We have cracks in the new Skyway here in St. Pete. I am sure they we be out there in boats to film it soon.
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| Aug 2, 2007 @ 4:26 PM |
Bridge over troubled Waters... News Sensationalism
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fuchia04
Posts: 953
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My goodness, what the news stations wouldn't do for ratings.  This is a horrific tragedy that the media shouldn't be trying to exploit.   I shudder to think that this is actually a bridge I traveled over (I-35W over the Mississippi), two weeks ago, during my trip.  
As far as news sensationalism goes, this same phenomenon happened when someone in northern Florida got fatally attacked by a shark in, oh, about 2002-2003. Suddenly, we were inundated with stories of shark attacks almost everyday on the news. It was as if the sharks had gone mad and decided to turn on humans. This caused my Mom to decide never to go in the ocean again. Everybody was in a shark scare. The paranoia was incredible. It was so bad, if a person bumped into someone swimming under water, they would get scared and run out of the water, thinking there was a shark.
The truth of the matter is, shark attacks happen every year. The odds of being attacked by one while swimming at a public beach or slim to none. Another fine example of news sensationalism at it's best.
But not to try to change the subject here from the Minneapolis bridge disaster...
My condolences go out to the victims and families of this tragedy. 
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| Aug 2, 2007 @ 10:30 PM |
Bridge over troubled Waters... News Sensationalism |
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witchietoo
Posts: 2,630
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What kills me with all of this is of course this area had to bring up the Skyway Bridge that collapsed in 1980.
What irked me about them bringing it up is it had nothing to do at all with the bridge itself. The bridge collapsed due to a ship hitting it....totally different situation then the MN one. 
My heart goes out to all those families in MN. The terror those poor people went through. Thankfully, the school bus didn't go in too and those children are safe.
We have cracks in the new Skyway here in St. Pete. I am sure they we be out there in boats to film it soon.
It didn't even take them an hour to bring up the Skyway and the issues with it. Then of course they brought up every bay area bridge and the issues with them.
Common sense will tell you any bridge is going to have stress cracks....the ground is always shifting, ten tons of traffic and little money for upkeep.
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| Aug 3, 2007 @ 3:59 PM |
Bridge over troubled Waters... News Sensationalism
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fuchia04
Posts: 953
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Witchie, this same thing happened in 1994 when a barge went down a wrong waterway near Mobile, Alabama. Anybody remember this? The barge was supposed to go up the Alabama River but took a wrong turn and went up Bayou Canot, instead. The barge ended up striking a railroad bridge and leaving. When an Amtrak train later crossed the bridge, the bridge collapsed, killing 147 passengers.
Like the Skyway, the bridge collapse in the Amtrak incident had nothing at all to do with the bridge's integrity. You slam a barge into any bridge - I don't care what shape it's in - then, of course, the bridge is going to be structurally unsound! And yet I remember the media decided to focus on the integrity of the bridge and bridges around the country - just like they're doing now. What they should've focused on, was the barge pilot who was too intoxicated to be piloting a barge, in the first place.
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| Aug 3, 2007 @ 4:22 PM |
Bridge over troubled Waters... News Sensationalism |
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bluefrogflyer
Posts: 17
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there are more people that died from this probley because what if theres people trapped in there cars under water. so im sure more people have died. on the today show the was a man with his 2 daughters that lost there mother and wife. normally she took another way home but that day she took that bridge and she died and she just talked to her husbend and daughters a half hour before it happened.
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| Aug 3, 2007 @ 4:51 PM |
Bridge over troubled Waters... News Sensationalism
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fuchia04
Posts: 953
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Quote:
normally she took another way home but that day she took that bridge and she died and she just talked to her husbend and daughters a half hour before it happened.
That is very sad. It makes us wish we could go back in time and warn everyone. I think drowning is a horrible way to die - especially while trapped in your car. Very sad.
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