Latest Blade report on gun violence continues to ask all the wrong questions

By Ken Hanson

The Toledo Blade reaffirms their lack of credibility on gun crime issues in their coverage of the murder of Toledo Detective Keith Dressel. The bias in the story is almost as outrageous as the murder itself.

Too often readers are facing bias in news coverage, whether they realize it or not. Since we are facing a very real danger of being desensitized to this bias, it is critical to expose it when it is found, and have readers ask very pointed questions of the editors.

First, we would encourage you to read the article by Blade Staff Writer Robin Erb, prior to reading this commentary. It can be found at:

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070222/NEWS03/702220394/-1/NEWS

Before we even begin to examine the bias of the story itself, let us look at the editorial bias underpinning the story. It is no secret that the editorial policy of the Toledo Blade is rabidly anti-gun. This is their prerogative – they are entitled to editorialize however they see fit. Where this bias crosses over into tainting and slanting the news coverage, clearly journalistic ethics are being sacrificed at the altar of their anti-gun beliefs.

To examine the editorial bias, it is first helpful to lay out the issues that are not addressed – the bias by omission. Toledo has stringent local regulation of firearms, and has gone to court to protect these sacred laws. The Blade has been a vocal cheerleader in these efforts, supporting the claim that local ordinances are imperative. You will notice that the story on the Detective’s murder fails to mention any of these local ordinances. From the story, we have two youths, both under age 21, who are charged with gun crimes that involved the use of a firearm. (Readers of this story are probably already aware that no one under age 21 may legally own or possess a handgun.) In fact, the story makes clear that one of the thugs had prior firearm offenses.

Nowhere in the Blade coverage do you see mention of Toledo Ordinance 549.24, Toledo’s Saturday Night Special ban, which appears to ban the handgun the one thug was previously caught with. No mention is made of T.O. 549.22, failure to secure the handgun. The thug clearly did not properly store the handgun when previously caught. No mention of T.O. 549.18, banning possession of firearms in a public place. No mention of T.O. 549.09, the gun owner identification card that neither youth had, or are we to presume that people who cannot even own a handgun had gone through the process and gotten an identification card?

Where is the Blade’s coverage of how these youths violated these local ordinances? How come the youths aren’t charged? How about at least questioning how the ordinances did nothing to protect the police detective? How even now, after their gun crime, they are not charged with violating any gun control ordinance? Isn’t at least mild interest, if not outrage, from the Blade in order that none of these “critical” local ordinances are being used to punish the worst of offenders?

That is editorial bias, bias by omission. The Blade clearly is never interested in pointing out any failure of their beloved gun bans. To do so would be to show that their editorial position has no logical basis, because in about every crime story they would have to show how the local ordinance played no role. So, even with “what they didn’t say” being biased, how about what they did say?

I am going to say some things that are not politically correct, and not necessarily popular. I will sleep soundly tonight.

The affirmative coverage of this story, as opposed to all the stuff that was left out, is equally as biased. We have yet one more example of the “he was such a good kid” coverage of teenage monsters. This is bias in adjective and tone selection. Keep in mind the underlying story being covered: Two repeat offenders have murdered a police officer. I feel compelled to point this out because that kind of gets lost in the Blade “news.”

Robert Jobe, who is “barely 15”, is one of the people accused of the murder. The Blade story refers to Jobe as a “youth” or ”young,” in practically every reference to him, at least 9 times by my count. In fact, I had to go back and confirm Jobe’s first name wasn’t “Young” because every reference to this accused murderer qualifies him by his age.

This is bias. The repeated reference to the accused murderer as “young” or “youthful” adds nothing to the story, which had already established his age within the first 2 sentences. Repeatedly referring to his age is an attempt to condition the reader into compassion for this thug because of his “tender age,” and I resent it.

Contrast this to the coverage of the murder victim, the Police detective. Well, I’d like to contrast it, but I cannot: the “news” is so busy apologizing for the accused murderers that they have no time left to tell us about the victim.

Similar kid-glove treatment (pun intended) is given to co-conspirator Powell. Repeat offender Powell is, as we all know, just in the wrong place at the wrong time, as he has apparently been since age 11. We know this because the Blade tells us his record stretches back to age 11. The Blade does reassure us that most cases against Powell have been dismissed, although it is not too reassuring, as the Blade fails to examine on even a cursory level why multiple cases against a known offender are routinely dismissed. Apparently, his mother’s reassurance that he is not a “bad kid” and most of his trouble arose from misunderstandings or mischief was enough. The Blade does dutifully report that Mr. Powell was allegedly brutalized by the Toledo Police during his arrest, giving more ink to that portion of the “story” than any of the details of the alleged murder or the victim.

The Blade is apparently unable to see the irony of the “good kid” statement when the mother next points out that a relative called at 2 a.m. to check on her son because the relative had heard of a shooting and wanted to make sure her son was not involved. Yep, that paints a picture of a good kid just in the wrong place at the wrong time, although it is difficult to conjure up a misunderstanding that involved her son being arrested previously on a school day at 3 a.m. in a car with marijuana and a bong. Those dang kids!

This is bias. Repeatedly explaining that the thug Powell was just an ornery Dennis the Menace does nothing but attempt to condition the reader to look kindly upon someone who shot a police officer. I understand everyone is innocent until proven guilty. I do not understand how that translates into canonizing the accused murderer. It is not human interest, it is not a humanizing angle, it is apologizing and conditioning and I’m sick of it.

Read the Blade story again. Ask yourself how “news coverage” can present all of the apologies for the accused without at least a skeptical rebuttal? How about this instead:

Two individuals with lengthy criminal records have been arrested for the murder of a Toledo Police Detective. Although one of the accused murders is not yet an adult, the Prosecution announced they will seek to try him as an adult due to the length of his criminal record and the severity of the crime.

When asked, prosecutors and the police were unable to explain how two individuals with such serious criminal histories had received nothing but repeated slaps on the wrist and counseling. Police declined comment when asked if their officer would still be alive had the courts and prosecutors done their jobs previously.

The mother of one of the repeat offenders filed a complaint with the police department alleging that excessive force was used in arresting her son, who has prior charges for obstructing and lying to the police. The police responded that they were seeking to arrest two individuals who were charged with the ultimate use of force against a police officer, and at least one of the youths had a history of physically resisting arrest. “We will thoroughly investigate her complain. However, when you have two individuals, each of whom has a lengthy criminal record including illegal firearm use, charged with murdering a police officer, a few bumps and bruises during the arrest are to be expected.”

Calls were made to the Mayor’s office asking why these individuals have not been charged with violating city firearm ordinances for their previous offenses and in the accused murder of Officer x, y, z who leaves a widow and two kids. The Mayor’s office has been unable to explain how the local ordinances will ever be used in cases like this.

Memorial donations for the slain officer’s family can be sent to……

Kind of leaves you with a different feeling, doesn’t it?

Ken Hanson is Buckeye Firearms Association Legislative Chair and author of The Ohio Guide to Firearm Laws.