R.I.P.?

Article Link: http://www.wmtw.com/video/22459335/index.html

(403 Word Count)

I chose to watch a newscast online and got results of a woman who had died after “secretly attempting to give birth to triplets.” The results came from a news site out of Portland, Maine. The sad news came on Tuesday morning when the woman’s mother found her at home dead from bleeding to death; the woman was only twenty-six years old.
I gave special attention to this article because I wanted to see what kind of information would be put in the report and what would be kept out of the report. Since it is an article about an unfortunate death, opportunities arise that could either make this report a good one or a bad one that people would feel uncomfortable watching. I think that the reporters did a good job saying the basic information and not getting to in depth with information. However, I do feel that the tone of the report was directed negatively toward the woman who died.
The reason I get the vibe that the tone is negative is because from the beginning, the reporter is using words that give the situation a negative tone. He uses words like “hunch,” “hide,” and “bled to death.” All of these words instantly make listeners (or watchers) feel uncomfortable with the situation and give less respect to the woman who died. The report also included a doctor who explained how it was nearly impossible for the woman not to have known that she was pregnant. I think it would have been more respectful for them not to have incorporated that into the report.
If I were to have written the report, I would have made it with a much more somber tone and made it a little more respectful to the woman who passed away and her family. I would have also got rid of the doctor’s little piece in the report. If anything, I would have included a doctor who reported that it was possible for her to not have known she was pregnant. Although it may not have been likely, I just think it would be more respectful to a person and family to do that. People should respectfully pass away and the family should not have to worry about their being so many questions left up in the air. The report was done mostly in past tense and in this case that was the necessary form of reporting.
I also recognized that news scripts are like fifth grade level vocabulary/reading. The sentences are very short and simple. This allows them to be easier to understand what is going on. The language is very direct and usually involves very little connotation. News casts are simple in a complex kind of way!

Jordan Swerid
February 4, 2010