Opinion | The Spectacle of Grief Through Media

‘If it bleeds, it leads” is an old saying in journalism, meaning that stories about murders, robberies, rapes, hit-and-runs, anything to do with violence, get featured coverage. “If it bleeds, it leads” is still followed in local television news, at least in Chicago, where violence is never in short supply.

A standard opener on the nightly news might involve an innocent child being hit by a stray bullet in the back of his father’s car; a policeman, having been fired on first, killing a young black man; or an older Hispanic woman run over by a hijacked car. The stories often feature relatives of the deceased, interviewed through their tears. They usually tell the reporter what a sweet, generous, remarkable person the deceased was. (“She lit up any room she entered.”) They affirm that they want “closure,” and some plead with the murderer to turn himself in so they can achieve it.