Read this morning’s Lansing State Journal and you’ll see a story about how police are investigating two break-ins in the 3500 to 4000 block of Van Atta Road in Meridian Township. It’s a negative happening and, for sure, a bad experience for the homeowners.
But what about similar coverage for the break-ins, assaults and other criminal activities inside the city?
Could one of the reasons for the perceived increase in criminal activity in Lansing be that the local newspaper seems to be suffering from journalistic impotence? Very few know of the crime in Lansing other than the dramatic homicides and street shootings and for those stories, it’s usually only the first or second day stories that are reported.
What about the other crime inside the city limits? Is Mayor Virg Bernero right that crime in Lansing has leveled off? To verify that contention, we are at the mercy of a politician’s word.
Don’t city residents need another set of eyes and ears? In our culture, historically, that has been the local newspaper? Where is ours?
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Wes, did you mean to say perceived decrease in crime?
Whether it’s bias or lack of resources, the LSJ barely scratches the surface of many issues in our community, positive and negative. Residents would indeed benefit from having extra eyes and ears. I’d love to see the LSJ rebuild its presence. How they do that, I don’t know.
Lisa-I really appreciate your comment about the Lansing State Journal and the role that it can play in our city and in the wider community. I don’t know what the answer is either on how they can rebuild. I would hope the LSJ initiate a transparent discussion on how that can be done. Wes
I think LSJ initiating a transparent discussion would be a great idea. They need community support to survive. If they took that step, more people would need to participate in the conversation than simply those who make a habit of throwing up nastiness all over the commenting areas of LSJ’s site. A constructive dialogue should be the goal.
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