Drug addiction and tabloid journalism
On Dec. 23, I woke to see the photo showing the arrest of an actor after he allegedly tried to buy heroin downtown. The placement of this photo, above the fold of the front page, is an alarming example of tabloid journalism at its worst.
The accompanying story, about downtown attracting drug buyers from other parts of the city, may be legitimate, but I doubt readers of this paper would be seeing a picture displayed so prominently if no celebrities had been ensnared.
JOHN DUVALL
Pasadena
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Gallant effort. Photograph of five undercover detectives on one addict proves we mean business. Now, let’s get real. Anyone remember the end of Prohibition? It didn’t stop alcoholism, but it got it out of the criminal justice system, where addiction doesn’t belong. What if all that money went into the public health system?
RITA LOWENTHAL
Santa Monica
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