MADHOUSE MOMENT: Cop Angry That Media Won’t Do Copaganda

Ingham County Sheriff Scott Wriggelsworth — who wasn’t even involved in the incident in question — is all up in his feelings about one tiny, possible mistake and a non-existent slight that he perceived in media coverage of a prominent Hillsdale County story that made national headlines.

Last June, after pulling over a suspected violent criminal, the detained man confirmed those suspicions by killing the officer who pulled him over, then running into the farm fields.  A massive manhunt ensued, and officers later killed the murderer.  It was a plainly open-and-shut case, and was treated as such by the media throughout, because the evidence was perfectly clear.

Earlier this week, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel officially closed the investigation into the officers actions and cleared them of any wrongdoing in this situation.  Headlines from various media outlets around the state and region did exactly what a headline is supposed to do: quickly summarize the events described.

That’s three Lansing TV stations (WLNS 6, WILX 10, and WSYM 47), a radio station in Coldwater (WTVB 1590), a TV station in Grand Rapids (WXMI 17), and a TV station in Toledo (WTOL 11); all of which serve Hillsdale County, all reporting the same story in basically the same way: AG Nessel has determined that the Michigan State Police troopers who shot and killed the man who murdered Hillsdale County Sheriff’s Deputy Butler were justified in their actions.  The investigation into the killing of the fugitive — which is standard procedure in ALL officer-involved shootings — is now closed.

Good news, right?

Not according to Ingham Sheriff Wriggelsworth. In his mind, Lansing TV stations WLNS and WILX committed a grave sin by not reporting that the MSP troopers are heroes! And Wriggelsworth insists that these two stations are clearly being anti-cop in their headlines by using the phrase “no charges” instead of “justified!”  Plus, how DARE they describe the murderer as being an “alleged” killer?!  The nerve!

Notably, Wriggelsworth doesn’t mention WSYM, FOX 47 — also a Lansing TV station — which used the exact same “no charges” phrasing in their headline.  I have to question why.

As a member of the media (yes, I’ve written and reported news and headlines in the past), and as a nearly-lifelong Hillsdalien, let me address Wriggelsworth’s arguments point by point.

1: We don’t write headlines as he suggests because we’re not cheerleaders, we’re reporters of fact.  It’s up to the reader to decide whether or not anyone is a “hero.”

2: He is correct that “allegedly” no longer needs to be used in this case.  WILX and WLNS (and possibly others) may have gotten that wrong in this situation, or they may not have.  Reading those stations’ stories as they currently are written on their respective web sites, that term is not present, and may have been removed.  In WILX’s case, they noted that the article had been edited after the AG’s full report had been released, which would indicate to me that at least that station was using the word “alleged” up until the point that it was officially no longer a mere allegation.  That is the correct and proper approach.  WLNS may have been doing the same, though there’s no editorial note on their article.

See, news organizations use the word “alleged” or “allegedly” out of caution PRIOR to the outcome of a case as a legal protection for THEMSELVES. Proclaiming someone to be a murderer prior to an actual criminal conviction could (has and does) lead to defamation lawsuits against the outlets who do so. There’s good reason for that: you’re innocent until proven guilty in this country. We will not be changing that practice. Ever.

3: “No charges” and “justified” are understood to mean the same thing.  Lord knows I’ve had problems with headline phrasing many, many, MANY times, but this was not intended to paint law enforcement in a bad light as he claims, it simply means the officers have been cleared of any wrongdoing.  In other words, their actions were justified.  I don’t claim to know the exact thought processes behind the headline writers’ choice in this instance, but this is a meaningless quibble.

No one was suggesting that there was doubt of the killer’s actions, nor was anyone suggesting that the police were in any way wrongful in theirs… save for a small group of the killer’s social circle, who do not speak for anyone but themselves.  I can tell you firsthand that Butler’s murder rocked this community to its core.  We would be screaming our heads off if the media had gotten it wrong.  That simply has not happened.

Sheriff Wriggelsworth owes WLNS and WILX an apology.