Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Media Bias Evident In Dog Bite Cases

It is interesting to see the bias in how the news reports dog bite cases…

Here is a perfect example… look how the breed of dog is an issue in this case…

First Story:

A TODDLER mauled by a dog in northern Sydney today is likely to require plastic surgery on severe facial and neck injuries.

The 15-month-old girl is in a stable condition in hospital after being mauled by the Labrador / Kelpie cross in the backyard of a house in Belrose just before 4pm (AEST).


Second Story:

The dog's breed was not known, the spokeswoman said.

Third Story:

The dog's breed was not known, the spokeswoman said.

A hospital spokeswoman said the injuries were not life-threatening and that the girl was likely to have some sort of plastic surgery.

Last year laws came into effect that banned the selling, breeding or acquiring of restricted dogs, which include pit bull terriers and Argentinian fighting dogs.


The Companion Animals Amendment Bill also required the desexing of all restricted dogs and increased the fine for a dog attack by a restricted breed to a maximum of $55,000 or imprisonment for two years.

This dog was a mixed bred dog… a mutt. But, note how the media were just anticipating that it was going to be a pit bull breed. The popular media are out on a mission to ban certain breeds of dog. These stories are sensationalized for a purpose. This isn’t just normal news reporting, and it is time we started complaining more about the bias in the media… on all things. I’m fed up with it. Dog biting is a result of improper breeding, inadequate socialization or outright neglect or abuse, lack of sufficient daily exercise and mental stimulation, lack of training, lack of supervision and lack of containment. It isn’t a breed problem. It’s just easier to ban breeds than ask people to be personally responsible... By the way, WHERE WERE THE PARENTS AND DOG OWNERS DURING ALL OF THIS??!!!

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