Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Lake Worth, FL: More on how the perception of crime is manipulated

This is an actual item in a newspaper's "Crime Blotter" from a 'newspaper' in the City of Lake Worth (no, not the Lake Worth Herald ):
Child Issue: A PBSO deputy went to Highlands [sic, should be "Highland"] Elementary School after the school called about a possible abuse situation. The school reported to DCF that a child was playing with teddy bears at the school, and making them fight, and that he put one on top of the other, simulating sex, and saying "Look at what they are doing." The child reportedly is very physical and often shows aggression, and is sometimes withdrawn. The child denied the allegation, and no injuries were found on him.
The above item was found in the "LAKE WORTH CRIME BLOTTER" and I challenge everyone to identify the crime committed. Very few people research each item in a CRIME BLOTTER for accuracy. Here is another "crime" published in the CRIME BLOTTER the previous week:
Deceased Person: A woman living on the 1800 block of North N Street called police [sic, should be "PBSO"] to report that she'd found her longtime friend, Sue Ives, lying on the floor of the home, deceased. She said she'd seen Ives going into the bathroom at 1 a.m., complaining of possibly catching a cold. At 8:45 a.m. she went to check on her and found her lying on the floor of the bedroom, unresponsive. There were no signs of trauma.
Again, why are these events published in a CRIME BLOTTER when neither of these are crimes? Both were published in Margaret Menge's Lake Worth Tribune:

 
Its masthead claims to have "Lake Worth's Best Local Newspaper!" These "crimes" Ms. Menge publishes are misleading, a misrepresentation, and bordering on manipulation of public opinion. Certainly not what you would call community journalism at its "Best".

"Domine, ut videam" is Latin for "Lord, that I might see". It is a phrase that refers to someone's search for knowledge and understanding. Again, shouldn't this search for Truth be applied to the CRIME BLOTTER? 

And lastly, the editor/publisher/reporter calls her newspaper the "Tribune". A 'Tribune' is "a person who upholds or defends the rights of the people." What exactly is Ms. Menge upholding or defending when she is clearly misrepresenting crime in our City?

This is a weekly problem with Ms. Menge's newspaper. Read here about more "crime" in Lake Worth from another recent CRIME BLOTTER. 

Once again, the first issue of her 'newspaper' was distributed only 53 days before our Lake Worth municipal elections on March 10th. A coincidence? Any surprise who she will be endorsing on Friday, March 6th?