Tuesday, January 27, 2009

'Six-- Three Inches-- 1" of White Death melting now'

Ever notice how any medium-size or up snowfall has turned into Team Coverage of The White Doom even if it fizzles?

A rhetorical question; if you live in a place that gets snow, own a television that gets local channels and have it on in Winter, you've seen it.

Understanding the "thinking" that underpins this behavior is, I believe, instructive:

● Big snowstorms are Big News.
● They have to be covered as they happen; all the resources (distant reporters, extra cameracritters, live-on-the-scene trucks in the hinterlands, etc.) must already be in place so they will be there when needed.
● If you've got 'em, you'd better use 'em, or next time, you might not get 'em.
● Even if the first snowflake that falls...is the only snowflake that falls.

As near as I can figure, there's no way the little boy can't cry Wolf, though at least the best of 'em try not to do so too loudly when the "wolf" turns out to be a mouse.

...And "It's there, we've gotta use it no matter what" goes to explain why there's an antigun bias in the media; having sent a reporter to Very Faraway to report on snow, you will see a report, even if it's, "No snow here." So, if they had an AR-15 or a pump shotgun or a six-shooter...?

Sure, you or I would take it to the range or out duck-hunting, whatever. J. Average Reporter, on the other hand, mostly sees guns used to knock over liquor stores and bump off gang rivals -- and he or she knows in his or her bones that any available resource will be used. Small wonder they get all weak-kneed at the notion of plain ordinary folk owning guns.

UPDATE: They got their de-darned snowstorm -- about eight hours late. And now that we have worn out one entire shift of snowplow drivers, it's time to do it for real. Oooo, baby.

3 comments:

Ken said...

Aieee! Belaya smert!

And just to keep it equal-opportunity, Die Kosaken kommen!

Anonymous said...

::raises hand::

Found it! We gotcher snowstorm down here in the Ohio valley. Looks to sock in the town tomorrow.

M

Crucis said...

It's how TV weathermen improve their accuracy rates. See! It' still snowing! I tooold you so! It's gonna continue snowing until it stops. And I'll be right again.