are there any mainstream institutional* news sources that have progressed even slightly from by default believing and reprinting without question everything police spokespeople say or put out?**
-
are there any mainstream institutional* news sources that have progressed even slightly from by default believing and reprinting without question everything police spokespeople say or put out?**
* I fucking hate this term
** yeah this is like a 99% rhetorical question but I live in hope -
You’d think* that previous *documented* behavior by police departments**, reporting might be somewhat skeptical or at least double check statements
Or does that get in the way of quick reporting? Is it as simple**** as reframing statements? “In a statement, [PD] claimed that xyz.*****
* ha
** you know, the kind that results in billions of dollars in settlements***
*** and consent decrees
**** maybe probably not? idk
**** you could add” We were unable to verify this claim.” -
Or even better, “[x] police department, which in the past year has conducted [n] investigations into alleged police killings, claimed that TKTKTK. We were unable to verify this claim.”
or sorry does that puncture the social contract that we’re supposed to trust those entrusted to ~~protect and serve~~