May 26 2008
Good Samaritan Left Out…
As a nice example of what we’ve discussed recently regarding how the media decide what is news–which some might argue is similar to deciding what is “reality”–The Star published a story today about the other Good Samaritan who helped the victim of a random stabbing in a nice neighbourhood a few days ago.
In any event, the other Good Samaritan is 23 year-old Mackenzie Siren. Unfortunately, unlike the other hero, Ms. Siren got some pretty crummy treatment, as you can read below:
Paramedics arrived in five minutes, and once MacDonald [the victim] was taken away Siren was left alone among firefighters and police officers. “Someone asked me in a surprised way if I was okay. I started hysterically laughing and crying at the same time because I didn’t know what to do. And apologizing because I was hysterical.”
She was directed to “a very nice fireman” who gave her hand sanitizer to try and remove the now-drying blood from her hands and arms. With blood stuck under her nails and between her fingers she was told to gather her belongings and wait for questioning, she said.
After 15 minutes an officer came over and they spoke for about 30 minutes. “He was nice. I felt he didn’t talk down to me, he didn’t hurry me.” Siren said the officer introduced himself, but did not give her a card or any contact information. A detective was present and he did not introduce himself, she said.
“After questioning, their nonchalance with the situation made me feel like to ask for anything more would be out of the ordinary, or inappropriate. … I was in shock obviously so I didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t know who to seek out.” So she walked the few blocks home. It was after 9:30 p.m. and raining. She didn’t know police had arrested the alleged attacker blocks away soon after the stabbing.
Thank you for the comments, Lee. In the chaos, it’s possible that Ms. Hines’ oversight was more benign than you suggest. And it’s also possible/likely that she wasn’t lying about the hamburger and the homeless person. However, keeping one’s mind open to these possibilities is essential to critical thinking, so I’m going to update the site to feature some of your comments/opinions so others can get another perspective to the story and can see another example of the media’s power to spin and shape our perceptions.
Lee, you bring up some very interesting points. I agree with you completely.
admin, I also agree with you that the media shapes our perception, maybe to the point that we sometimes take everything they say for granted. In this case, I took interest in the story when I read it in the papers, but I was not nearly as sharp as lee privo to question what happened. It didn’t even cross my mind….
You know, Lily, I have to admit that I was pretty uncritical in my reading of this story as well, at least with respect to the points raised by Lee. I mean, with respect to those issues, it SEEMED like a straight forward enough story. But as we’re seeing, even the simplest facts/stories can be deemed “spin worthy” or “spin necessary.”
I’d like to clear up my previous reference to Hines TELLING the media she was giving a hamburger to a homeless man. I have no reason to think this was a lie. I believe 100% that she did perform this nice gesture. It’s not the truthfulness of the hamburger I’m questioning, I just wonder about the reason for someone to mention it.
Say I witness a baby snatching. The mother is in shock and I chase the snatcher, snatch the baby back and return it to the mother who meantime has called 911. Police and media arrive, the media interviews me as the good samaratin, and I mention to them that I had just finished my volunteer shift at a woman’s shelter. Why would I do that? What does it have to do with the snatching?
I can’t believe for one minute that when interviewing Hines, who said she was crossing the street when she heard the victim’s cries, a reporter would ask “And what were you doing across the street?” See what I mean? lp
Yeah, that makes sense, lee privo. It may be nothing nefarious, but you’re right: Why would she mention that?
I mentioned the hamburgers because the media asked me how did I come to be at the corner. They asked me!!