Compare/contrast the tone/tenor of these two news articles.
For extra credit, identify which one is really an editorial.
stay safe.
Oops, Wrong Houses:
St. Louis [MO] police are calling it a case of justifiable homicide. Two men broke into a home in north city Wednesday afternoon and began robbing several people inside. One of the occupants of the home in the 4700 block of Labadie shot at the suspects, hitting one and possibly the other before the intruders ran off. However robbery suspect Jerome Burse, 38, collapsed outside the home and was taken to the hospital, where he later died. The second suspect remains at large. Those inside the home, including a 7-month-old girl, escaped injury.
A Raleigh County [WV] shooting is under investigation after a homeowner allegedly takes the law into their own hands. At 6 a.m. Monday morning Raleigh County Sheriff's Captain Mitch Barley said a male in his early 20's attempted to break into a home on Haley Hill Drive in Fairdale. Captain Barley said when the homeowner opened the door the intruder attempted to hit the person with a club and then the homeowner shot the intruder in the chest. The alleged intruder is currently receiving treatment at Raleigh General Hospital. Barley said he believes he will recover... (The phraseology of that first sentence is as flawed as its grammar. Responding with deadly force to an immediate, unavoidable threat to life or limb is not “taking the law into his own hands.” That phrase implies an intent to circumvent the criminal-justice system after the commission of a crime.)- Sent in by Skidmark
*****
My email to the author of the second story:
Ma'am, with all due respect towards your left-leaning views and gun-hating opinions, the homeowner did not "take the law into his own hands". He sucessfully defended himself and family from an immediate and potential threat.
Do you really expect him to attempt (probably unsuccessfully) push the intruder out and then call the police, waiting for who knows how long for them to arrive?- Ken Lane
Ceres, CA.Her reply to me:
Ken,
Thank for your opinion but I'm not slanting the news in anyway.
"Taking the law into your own hands," was used because if you do shoot a person you are taking the responsiblity for those actions which are then is judged by law. I'm sorry the words we used in this particular story upset you. I hope you can understand we here at 59 news just report the news and aren't putting our own opinions into the stories.
Have a great day.
-Lauren Weppler
If you would like to write her a quick note, her email is Lauren.Weppler@gmail.com
Please be nice, she was courteous to me.