See the depths to which one Chicago news station sank in order to create a compelling news story.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mu_LK_iEFE8
Probably the ugliest side effect of the mass death of news outlets is the salacious schlock to which the surviving outlets resort in order to retain their fans. "If it bleeds, it leads" has always been a go-to saying for news outlets hoping grotesqueness will drum up readers, viewers or listeners, but in the new hyper-competitive digital news era, it needs to bleed, explode, and die in broad daylight to lead.
Consider the above clip from Chicago CBS affiliate WBBM for proof of how pathetic some news reports have become. Watch the whole video to see a harmless quote from a 4-year-old boy get manipulated into a bloodthirsty proclamation, clear cut evidence of the cyclical nature of violence in the ghetto.
This is where horror stories about marginalized groups begin, and it's all in pursuit of more ratings.