PLATFORM : Sensationalism

The way the Rodney King video was played over and over again created a situation of prejudgment on the part of the public, without understanding what the LAPD is all about. It took a long time before the press started to carry a balance of information about the other 8,300 officers out there. How many tens of thousands of jobs do these officers perform on a daily basis where there is no problem?

I have been an independent observer working in the police station for eight years. I have never seen any arrested person, regardless of race or color, mistreated either physically or verbally by a police officer.

The media tended to inflame the public rather than report to the public what happened.

This goes beyond the Rodney King thing. The press needs to look at the way it handles all sensational stories. The power of the press is awesome. The way it reports shapes the minds, attitudes and actions of the citizens. Someone can be made or destroyed overnight.