Last June, the big sex news in town was that Google Trends research revealed that Louisville residents were more likely that any other city's to type "sex and porn" into Google search boxes.
The scandalous story led newscasts and provided plenty of material for local media outlets. We were ahead of Rochester and Philadelphia.
And somebody in the WLKY newsroom got the bright idea that it would be a great sweeps story in November, when the ratings stakes are highest. So tonight we get to hear all about the survey again, and the station gives all the usual suspects the chance to express outrage and decry the moral decay in our city.
The station's Carissa Lawson interviewed Tony Gore, a Southeast Christian Counselor; Jeff Colon of Pure Life Ministries (which exists to serve individuals "dealing with sexual sin,") and Bryan Wickens of Reclaim Our Culture Kentuckiana (mission: fighting sex businesses in the area).
We've already had our share of sin exposes during sweeps -- WHAS-TV found a guy operating a male prostitution ring under the guise of a modeling agency; WLKY-TV earlier reviewed its 15-year history of busting sexual predators.
"There's true news value in this story, it's not just a sensational piece," said WLKY GM Glenn Haygood. "If you think this could be happening in your home, it's worth watching."
OK, so it's a real problem that's getting more widespread, and families can be adversely affected by porn addiction. Haygood says the report will highlight an example of a specific family.
Really? Who cares if louisville residents look up pornography on the internet. This isn't news. Now, if the study shows we are number one in rapes or child molestation then yeah thats news and a huge problem. Other than that, this is just filler.
Where is the "sex positive" perspective in this mix? Why the generalization that adult oriented materials on the internet is a path to sex addiction, and then there's the entire professional debate around this behavior being defined as an addiction. It seems that ratings and the individual agendas of media personnel (I would use reporters or journalists, however, those seem to be few and far between these days), are more important than a presentation of the facts from all perspectives.
Whether or not its happening someone's home is irrelevant. If children are accessing adult oriented materials, parents need to be parenting. If it's adults, they have the privilege to make their own choices.
Sadly, most so-called news sources have opted to for the, "never let the truth get in the way of a good story" method of journalism. It's one of several reasons I no longer watch television news and get my local weather from the internet.
Last June, the big sex news in town was that Google Trends research revealed that Louisville residents were more likely that any other city's to type "
1
Rick Redding