There’s a lot of power in puppies. Just witness the hundreds of phone calls received after airing video taken during the search of the home of a Conneaut Township breeder.
Police are looking into whether the 21 puppies, 7 adult dogs and three goats were receiving proper care.
The video shows a pretty messy house with the dogs piled on top of each other in the basement but the animals appear within normal weight and energy ranges.
Many of the calls were from people wanting to help, some were from people downright angry over the conditions.
One of the calls we received was from the homeowner, a 62-year old woman named Yvonne Merkins, who insisted somewhat adamantly and quite correctly that there are two sides to every story and it would have been nice to have a say before the puppy police convicted her in the court of public opinion.
And that brings up another point about puppies.
Sometimes they can be a cautionary tale about the changing powers of the media.
In journalism class (oh those many years ago) we were taught that reporters are the “gatekeepers” of information, meaning that they go gather the facts, filter out the unnecessary and concisely present that which is worth being presented.
These days mainstream media outlets are no longer “keepers,” since most of us now have access to things like video cameras and Internet access.
The hanging of Saddam Hussein for instance was captured on a video phone and emailed around the world without one reporter having a say in the matter.
Some argue that is a good thing.
I argue that raw data without perspective can be dangerous.
Yvonne Merkins probably agrees with me. She will argue that she brought the animals into her basement from her barn due to the intense cold and temporarily kept them in confined for their own good.
She will argue that they have all of their worm and flea medicines and that she is licensed as the law requires.
In other words, she’ll argue that the videotape of her home by itself and without explanation is not good enough to remove her animals from her, let alone turn society against her.
While reporters no longer act as “gatekeepers” it is imperative that the media acts as “perspective keepers,” allowing us to make responsible decisions about the vast volume of raw information technology provides.
If not, we’ll soon be barking about a lot more than one woman’s right to keep her puppies.
HEY! I don't know if I'm in the doghouse or what, but the comments section here is still down. If you want to bark about this topic, e-mail to scott.bremner@wsee.tv. Put "Comments" in the subject line so I don't miss it, and I'll scratch your thoughts right after mine.
COMMENTS
As always, Mr. Bremner, well said. Well said! Things aren't always as they appear, but some people prefer to sensationalize a story even at the expense of the truth. I've been reading you for a long time, and if someone asked me to give one word to describe you, that word would be integrity. Your integrity is impeccable. I mean that sincerely. Thank you for another fine perspective on this sensationalized story attracting so much attention. I'm sure Ms. Merkins would thank you, too.
Patti Fowler
P.S. doggone it! I forgot to mention.....you're so good at pawsitively tying in your comment section with your stories. It always makes me smile.
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Scott,
I disagree with your comment about gatekeeping. I still think media and reporters are gatekeepers, but there are more forms of checks and balances now with the popularity of video sharing, blogging and other emerging internet technologies.
There are still stories the general public doesn't know about that don't get attention. Sometimes people in news rooms have to make tough decisions about airing versus not airing something big.
You did make some good points in your post. There are two sides to every story. Two people can see the exact same thing but tell the story differently.
Jennifer Robinson