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jtuck004

(15,882 posts) Tue Dec 23, 2014, 01:16 AM Dec 2014

USA Today Wants You to Think Killings of Police Are on the Rise

Ambush Recharges Debate," declares the front page of USA Today (12/22/14), a headline over a story about the killing of New York police officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu. The "debate" being recharged is presumably linked to the national protests against police brutality–protests that are in no way connected to this brutal murder.
USA Today's contribution to this debate is to encourage readers to think that murders of police officers like these is becoming more common. A front-page graphic is titled "POLICE DEATHS ON THE RISE," and it shows that overall police deaths increased from 100 last year to 123 this year. The increase is more dramatic when isolating police deaths by firearms: 31 deaths in 2013 and 49 this year.
...
But these statistics are highly misleading–in part because police deaths are not the same thing as police murders. As Vox (12/22/14) points out, data from the FBI's Uniform Crime Report show that felonious killings of police officers average between 40 and 70 per year; in most years, slightly more officers are killed accidentally.
...
But instead of doing that, the newspaper decided to make a front-page graphic that only feeds the narrative that police officers are under attack.

Here.

And about 2-3 times that many die cutting lumber or fishing, far more dangerous jobs.

Dangerous world, no need to make it appear worse, unless their agenda is to support profiteering through racism and lies, perhaps.

12 replies

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Highlight:

USA Today Wants You to Think Killings of Police Are on the Rise (Original Post) jtuck004 Dec 2014 OP

that is really terrible Kalidurga Dec 2014 #1

How many felonious deaths were there this year? Renew Deal Dec 2014 #2

Here is the site with the numbers. Savannahmann Dec 2014 #7

McPaper. Scuba Dec 2014 #3

a lot of those death by firearms... lame54 Dec 2014 #4

So? An unarmed black person is shot 'every 28 hours,' Katashi_itto Dec 2014 #5

A large chunk of the media is like the occupants of a brothel. Vinca Dec 2014 #6

Truck drivers have around 900 to 1000 who get killed every year. B Calm Dec 2014 #8

For 2 NYC cops and a sad 13 yr old boy.... maced666 Dec 2014 #9

For the ones that might be avoided in the future it matters. That's what most people are jtuck004 Dec 2014 #10

USA Today is the Velveeta of print journalism marmar Dec 2014 #11

Lot's of cheese... jtuck004 Dec 2014 #12

Kalidurga

(14,177 posts)

1. that is really terrible

Reply to jtuck004 (Original post)

Tue Dec 23, 2014, 01:30 AM

Dec 2014

it's one thing to make a mistake or even be biased and slant the news, but this is just outright lying. It isn't just a different take on the facts it is lying about the facts. USA Today is dead to me, not that I ever got that rag more than a couple times a year. But, I won't read links to them either now.

Renew Deal

(81,866 posts)

2. How many felonious deaths were there this year?

Reply to jtuck004 (Original post)

Tue Dec 23, 2014, 02:02 AM

Dec 2014

Savannahmann

(3,891 posts)

7. Here is the site with the numbers.

Reply to Renew Deal (Reply #2)

Tue Dec 23, 2014, 09:43 AM

Dec 2014

Here is the information you asked for.

Assault: 2
Automobile accident: 26
Drowned: 1
Fire: 1
Gunfire: 46
Gunfire (Accidental): 2
Heart attack: 15
Motorcycle accident: 3
Struck by vehicle: 3
Vehicle pursuit: 5
Vehicular assault: 10

Now, eliminating the obvious and probable accidental as well as those of natural causes.

Assault: 2
Gunfire: 46
Vehicle pursuit: 5
Vehicular assault: 10

I show 63 died by probable felony causes. I'm even willing to include those who died during vehicle pursuits. That is despite the fact that two of those who died in vehicle pursuits died because they crashed into each other. Seriously two cop cars crashed and killed both occupants. One has to wonder if they were wearing their seatbelts, because I almost never see a cop wearing his, and statistics prove that you are far more likely to survive an automobile accident if you're wearing one. We probably could cut the automobile accident deaths in half, or better if we just made sure the cops were wearing those seatbelts that are installed in every single car.

I should note, and you'll probably discover, that these are state, local, and federal law enforcement numbers. They include Puerto Rico. Now, there are currently about one million law enforcement officers. That is defined as those with a badge, and a gun, with the powers of arrest. How do those statistics look to you now?

Scuba

(53,475 posts)

3. McPaper.

Reply to jtuck004 (Original post)

Tue Dec 23, 2014, 08:59 AM

Dec 2014

lame54

(35,295 posts)

4. a lot of those death by firearms...

Reply to jtuck004 (Original post)

Tue Dec 23, 2014, 09:14 AM

Dec 2014

Are probably suicides

Katashi_itto

(10,175 posts)

5. So? An unarmed black person is shot 'every 28 hours,'

Reply to jtuck004 (Original post)

Tue Dec 23, 2014, 09:23 AM

Dec 2014

Who do you think concerns me more?

http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/1-black-man-killed-every-28-hours-police-or-vigilantes-america-perpetually-war-its

Vinca

(50,285 posts)

6. A large chunk of the media is like the occupants of a brothel.

Reply to jtuck004 (Original post)

Tue Dec 23, 2014, 09:42 AM

Dec 2014

They'll do whatever it takes to generate the most money. A story about lumberjack deaths isn't a big seller.

B Calm

(28,762 posts)

8. Truck drivers have around 900 to 1000 who get killed every year.

Reply to jtuck004 (Original post)

Tue Dec 23, 2014, 09:49 AM

Dec 2014

maced666

(771 posts)

9. For 2 NYC cops and a sad 13 yr old boy....

Reply to jtuck004 (Original post)

Tue Dec 23, 2014, 10:31 AM

Dec 2014

It doesn't matter if people think police killings on the rise is true or not.

jtuck004

(15,882 posts)

10. For the ones that might be avoided in the future it matters. That's what most people are

Reply to maced666 (Reply #9)

Tue Dec 23, 2014, 12:44 PM

Dec 2014

interested in, their kids and all.

Might be the best way to honor the the many that have gone before in our country of institutionalized racism.

marmar

(77,084 posts)

11. USA Today is the Velveeta of print journalism

Reply to jtuck004 (Original post)

Tue Dec 23, 2014, 12:45 PM

Dec 2014

jtuck004

(15,882 posts)

12. Lot's of cheese...

Reply to marmar (Reply #11)

Tue Dec 23, 2014, 09:27 PM

Dec 2014

"We have a circulation of 1.8 million and a readership of 3.1 million. USA TODAY sites have 26.3 million unique visitors a month."

le Google.

I actually thought their circ it would be larger - I guess newspaper racks aren't that great a distribution method. They would provide a handy place to display organizing messages, however.

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