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The popularity of social media today gives everyone, and anyone, the ability to grab their five minutes of fame, and maybe even more.  It allows us to stay connected, no matter where we are, and to keep up on the latest events as they are unfolding.

 

That’s the good news, and the bad news.

 

When does it become too much?  When does media end up being a detriment instead of a benefit?

 

As I watched the horror unfold from the shootings in Paris in 2015, my heart broke for the families and loved ones who lost so many that day.   I listened to the media announce the name of the terrorist group that “took credit” for these atrocities, and I was appalled by fact that global news was, for all intents and purposes, giving free publicity to monsters.

 

I feel that sometimes our media is focused on the wrong story.  This is not a contest where we give awards (or credit) to bad guys.  old-newspaper-350376_1920 copy

 

What kind of message are we sending, if we give coverage to evil?  If you name it, you give it power.

 

Why not tell the stories of those who were lost instead of giving free recruiting ads to anyone who might want to join a horrible terrorist group?

 

I would much rather hear the name of the talented art student who was one year away from graduating, or the mother of four who will never meet her grandchildren, or the kind shopkeeper who gave treats his customer’s dog.

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It is incredibly sad to me that I know more about the group responsible for the shootings than I know about the innocent people who were killed.

 

Don’t name the terrorist who shoots hundreds of innocent people, or the bigot who wants to build a wall to keep people out of our country, or the religious zealot who stones a woman for not wearing a veil.

 

They don’t deserve even five minutes.