Analysis:
Several things can be said about this story. First, it is about an incident that took place over a month ago from being reported on channel 13. The incident took place in another state so what bearing does it have for viewers in West Michigan? However, the big issue is how this story was hyped. The news reader frames the story as excessive police force, but then ends up spending the rest of the time talking about the little girl’s behavior. The video footage that is used shows the girl “acting out,” but doesn’t provide a context for her behavior. Viewers should ask themselves who shot the video, who edited it and how did it get to news people?
Story:
WZZM 13 News reader – Police in St. Petersburg, Florida are being criticized for hand cuffing a 5 year old girl. The whole incident was caught on tape. It took place March 14th after the girl refused to take part in a kinder garden math lesson. She tore numerous items off of a bulletin board, repeatedly climbed on a table and even hit the assistant principal. Three officers arrived and proceeded to hand cuff the girl who began to scream and cry. The incident remains under investigation.
Total Time: 28 seconds
