Should the names of mass killers be concealed? That's the ethical question media outlets are asking themselves in the wake of the Sandy Hook shootings. Also, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against environmentalists in a case determining whether Los Angeles County violated the Clean Water Act. Plus, Governor Jerry Brown challenges federal control over California prisons. All that and more on today's AirTalk.
Should the names of mass killers be concealed?
Testimony began yesterday in the trial of the suspect in the July movie theater shooting in Aurora, CO. Coverage of the shooting and the trial add to a fast-spreading discussion about how the media should cover mass violence. Standard media practices have evolved throughout the years to accommodate other tragedies – new outlets don’t publish details of most rapes, and especially don’t publish details about the victim and their appearance.
Suicides are hardly ever covered unless the person is especially famous; details are kept under wraps to prevent “copycat” attempts and associations between the act of suicide and notoriety. Several news outlets have argued that mass murders may be spurred on by the idea of fame. Could new, self-imposed restrictions on reporting these crimes change the impact of the press? Some have suggested leaving names and details about the perpetrators out of coverage completely, or at least until they are on trial. Many many have called for less sensationalized reporting, criticizing reporters who interview traumatized victims and witnesses in the immediate aftermath of tragic events.
Could media sensitivity have an effect on the future of violent crime? Is re-focusing reporting away from perpetrators of violence a good media decision? Does the public have the right to know details of crimes like these, or could a degree of removal be beneficial?
Guests:
Steve Buttry, works in corporate editorial for the Journal Register Company, which owns daily and weekly newspapers across the United States
Ms. Kelly McBride, Senior Faculty for Ethics, Poynter Institute
Environmentalists lose out to Los Angeles government
Local governments in Los Angeles scored a victory today over environmentalists in the Supreme Court. The issue at hand was runoff from L.A.’s storm water sewer system. Groups such as the Natural Resources Defense Council Inc. and Santa Monica Baykeeper were accusing Los Angeles County of violating the Clean Water Act.
The city’s runoff system carries storm water to the Pacific Ocean, and is often marked by the various materials and substances which find their way into the water due to storms and flooding. Thus, environmental groups stressed that the drainage system was allowing for the discharge of pollutants into the Pacific, as bacteria and feces were often far above normal levels. The Supreme Court, however, determined that water, and any pollutants in said water, flowing from a runoff system into the ocean wasn’t the same as actively polluting a waterway. While the legal aspects are settled for now, there is still a great deal of uncertainty surrounding this issue.
Namely, who is responsible for monitoring and cleaning this water? If not local governments, then does it go to the state or federal level? What groups should be overseeing this? What laws, regulations or permit policies should change to better deal with this problem?
Guests:
Steve Fleischli, director, Natural Resources Defense Council’s water program
Mark Pestrella, assistant director, L.A. County Public Works Department
Echoes of our ancestors: traditional vs. modern societies
The “yesterday” in the title of Jared Diamond’s new book refers to the period 11,000 years ago when hunter-gatherer groups evolved into modern human societies. Despite the emergence of civilization, organized religion, industrialization and mass communication, have we really changed that much as humans? Has ordered government supplanted or protected group harmony? Have our health, diet and family life suffered or improved thanks to modern innovations? Where do agrarian and industrialized societies intersect?
These are some of the questions Diamond attempts to answer by comparing human societies both ancient and modern, drawing on his extensive fieldwork among the traditional cultures of New Guinea, the Amazon and Kalahari which are still in existence.
What remnants of human societies past still linger in our modern DNA? Which have been lost to us, possibly forever? What do these changes mean to our collective future?
Guest:
Jared Diamond, author of "The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies?" and a professor of geography at UCLA; his previous books include "Why Is Sex Fun?," "The Third Chimpanzee," "Collapse," and "Guns, Germs, and Steel," winner of the Pulitzer Prize.
Diamond will talk about his new book on Tuesday, January 22, 2013 from 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm at Royce Hall on UCLA's campus. For more info, click here.
Governor Brown challenges federal caps on California prison population
Five years ago, California’s state prisons were full to bursting – over 170,000 inmates housed in 33 facilities. Civil rights groups decried the overcrowded conditions, which included prisoners bunked three to a cell or in outdoor pens and inmates with severe medical and mental health issues that were going untreated, sometimes resulting in death. Things got so bad that a federal court in 2009 ordered the state to reduce its prison population by 40,000 within two years.
Realignment practices have included transferring prisoners to county facilities or out of state (at a cost of over half a million dollars a day) and early release of lesser offenders, but the number of prisoners is still more than 9,000 above what the federal judges ordered. But despite the fact that some state facilities are still well over capacity and prison rights groups continue to lobby for further reductions, Governor Jerry Brown announced today that California has sufficiently reduced its prison population and there’s no need to do more.
Last night state lawyers filed papers last night to challenge the targets set by the U.S. Supreme Court, saying “the overcrowding and healthcare conditions cited by this court to support its population reduction order are now a distant memory.” The state, they say, now provides adequate medical care to inmates. County facilities have struggled with the influx of state prisoners thanks to realignment, and communities have protested the early release of felons. A previously convicted gang member who is suspected in a recent Pasadena homicide turns out to have been released from a two-year prison term a month early under realignment guidelines, leading to renewed objections to the practice.
Should California be forced to comply with the federal ruling, even if they can show that conditions have improved sufficiently? How can the state balance its overcrowded prisons with the need for public safety? Are the monetary and societal costs of realignment justified? If we do need more room, is the answer more prisons, or more lenient sentencing?
Guests:
Governor Jerry Brown
Don Specter, director, Prison Law Office
Julie Small, KPCC reporter
New Disneyworld wristband could boost custom experience, profits and creepiness factor
Disney theme parks have come a long way since Disneyland opened in Anaheim in 1955, and Epcot showed us a vision of the future alongside Orlando’s Disneyworld in 1982. With fans young and old hoping to get the shortest possible lines to the most popular attractions, Disney is deploying more technology to boost your experience in the Magical Kingdom.
An app called MyMagic+ is being rolled out to create a more personalized visit, the company tells The New York Times. Taking advantage of massive WiFi networks and its thousands of visitors armed with smartphones, guests can choose how much information they’d like to share with the app, and whether to wear corresponding wristbands (called “MagicBands”). If you enter your name and other details, Snow White might greet you by name, and wish you a happy birthday. Moms in strollers could speed their way through turnstiles. And the band could even be used for purchases. The company in turn gets to speed up lines and transactions, learn more about consumers, and presumably boost purchases.
So far, it’s only heading to the Florida theme parks. A spokeswoman for Disneyland and California Adventure says, “For now we’re just focused on Orlando-based Walt Disney World,” but, “we always look to enhance guest experience.”
If you’re a Disney fan, or frequent theme park-goer, would you take advantage of this technology? Or is this a step too far into visitor privacy? And would you make a different choice for yourself than for young children?
Guest:
Brooks Barnes, NY Times media reporter who covers Disney and theme parks
Far from normal, ParaNorman pushes the boundaries of animation
Production house Laika and Focus Features were responsible for 2009’s Coraline, the first-ever stop motion 3D movie. They continued on the path of innovation this year with ParaNorman, a comedic horror film aimed at youthful audiences. The story of a young boy who can communicate with the dead, ParaNorman is the second stop motion 3D feature ever made, and the first to use 3D color printers to make character faces.
Stop motion cinematography has come a long way since the days of Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer, but it’s still a painstaking practice, that relies on lifelike puppets, elaborate mini-sets and delicately crafted props. The movie attracted attention not only for the beautiful results of its groundbreaking animation technology, but also for story composition and script. One character has broken new ground with audiences and reviewers – Mitch, the older brother of the titular Norman’s friend, reveals at the end of the film that he has a boyfriend, making him the first openly gay character in a mainstream children’s animated film.
How did first-time screenwriter Butler craft the unusual story? What did each director bring to the table? How did marrying stop motion techniques with the new technology of 3D printing bring the characters to life?
Guests:
Chris Butler, director and screenwriter of ParaNorman
Sam Fell
, director of ParaNorman