How TV News Covers Homicides Has Changed

How TV News Covers Homicides Has Changed

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More than 600 people have been shot and killed so far this year in Chicago, but just a tiny fraction of those victims became TV news stories.

There’s an editorial process behind which of those victims gets coverage and which remain anonymous to the general public. There’s also a perception in the TV new business that the audience has an interest in homicide victims. Someone who’s covered his share of crime stories is former WGN TV reporter and anchor Robert Jordan.

The 40 -year veteran takes a deep dive into how his industry covers crime in his new book, Murder in the NewsAn Inside Look at How Television Covers Crime. He joins Morning Shift to talk about the how crime coverage has changed since he started his television career and why some murder victims get coverage and others don’t.