Monday, June 15, 2009

Arrest of cat killing suspect reveals a lot about Miami



Later this week the news directors of Miami's TV news stations will announce in a joint statement that in an effort ensure that alleged serial cat-killer Tyler Weinman gets a fair trial, they will take the following steps:

  • They will scale back coverage of the story to one report daily.
  • They will not park live trucks on the street in front of the home of Weinman's parents.
  • The stations will refrain from using lurid and sensational on-screen graphics that identify Weinman as the "cat killer." (CBS4 had a graphic this morning that read "Cat Killer Arrest")
  • All TV reporters covering this story will be instructed to only report facts they can verify.

    It could happen.

    And pigs could fly.
    ...

    Miami-Dade police, it appears, did some superb detective work in tracking down and arresting the accused, Tyler Weinman.

    The Herald's Ace Crime reporter, Jose Pagliery, has all the details here.

    If all of the allegations against Weinman turn out to be true, then he's obviously one sick puppy.

    But right now, he's only been accused and not convicted.

    But that's not stopping some of Miami's more introspective computer owners from spewing hate on the various comment sections on Miami Herald.com and Miami New Times blog, Riptide 2.0.

    The Riptide 2.0 post has already elicited over 100 comments, some of them anti-Semitic and homophobic.

    It appears that the Herald has disabled comments on their stories.

    One blogger reports that the Herald had deleted almost 200 comments left by readers on the original story by 1pm yesterday.

    The Sun-Sentinel is allowing comments on their story. As of 5pm Monday almost 900 readers had left comments.

    But those commenters are not alone in their stupidity. At least one politician has already decided that Weinman is guilty.

    The Herald reports "Miami-Dade County Commissioner Katy Sorenson, who represents the area, called him 'twisted and depraved, somehow really not right as a human being.' "

    So if it turns out that Tyler Weinman is disturbed, then he's got lots of company.

    And so it goes.