Sure, it's tragic. And lurid. And truly bizarre. But does the murder of a Macomb County businesswoman and the capture of her husband really warrant the kind of coverage it's been getting from Detroit's daily papers?
Monday's papers were what really lit our fuse. Both The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press devoted most of their front pages and considerably more space inside to the newest developments in the Tara Lynn Grant case. The News was especially tawdry, running as its decidedly tabloid headline "Mr. Mom to maniac?" Considering that Stephen Grant is accused of hacking his wife into pieces, and was finally caught trudging shoeless through Michigan's north woods, we concede the case has more than its fair share of nefarious appeal.
But in the big scheme of things, this case affects our lives not one whit. Yet, by placing the story on the front page, as the lead article above (and, in this case below) the fold, the editors of our two mainstream dailies are saying, in effect, that this is the day's most important story — and, in fact, has been southeast Michigan's most important story for several days running.
What is it about the killing of attractive white women that causes the media to whip themselves into a frenzy of coverage when other murders that occur on a near-daily basis generate virtually no media attention?
Call us old-fashioned, but we find ourselves longing for the days when Detroit's two dailies used their front pages to focus attention on matters of true importance, like the Tigers being in the World Series or the Pistons making a run at the NBA championship.
News Hits is edited by Curt Guyette. Contact him at 313-202-8004 or [email protected]
