4/30/2005 09:51:00 AM|W|P|Jon Fortt|W|P|If you've seen the coverage of the disappearance of Jennifer Wilbanks of Duluth, Ga., the bride who actually got cold feet and was not kidnapped as family members and authorities feared, you might think it was the family and authorities who'd been had.
They were. But the national news media got snookered worse than anyone.
Think about it. Some 32-year-old woman in Georgia goes missing for less than a week, and it's all over the national news? What kind of sense does that make? So many people go missing in a given week that it hardly seems reasonable for CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and the rest to have a total freak-out session.
It's a bit of a strech to post this topic on Cross, but I'm doing it because this story is fundamentally about lies and greed. Wilbanks initially lied and told police she had been kidnapped. And you'd best believe that the reason this got so much national attention is greed: Wilbanks is a reasonably well-to-do, reasonably attractive suburban woman, this had "Laci Peterson Part II" written all over it, and the ratings hounds at the networks couldn't wait to cash in. Because of their pack mentality, they've become part of the story. "After all this national media attention, it turns out she just had cold feet." Ouch.
If this sounds somewhat cynical, I'm sorry. But seasoned journalists should know better than to blow out a story like this when the woman had been missing for less than four days.|W|P|111488096553303491|W|P|Lies and Greed: How did the Jennifer Wilbanks disappearance story become national news in like, two days?|W|P|jon.fortt@gmail.com5/01/2005 06:37:00 AM|W|P| Brad|W|P|So the news media is caught up in lies and greed, what does Jesus tell us to do about it? We can easily point out the wrongs of the world. But Jesus tells us to proclaim His Truth and His Truth will set us free! Through Christ we are the lights on the side of a hill. Empowered by the Holy Spirit we are the salt of the earth. So to point out that the news media is all about greed doesn’t do anything, we already know it. But to proclaim some of God’s Truth along with it, now that is what we should be doing!
Be blessed in the power of His might. And together lets pray for those who despitefully use us and together lets share the Word of God that will bless those who curse us!5/02/2005 06:20:00 AM|W|P| David Tieche|W|P|I was in the gym working out the other day and I saw that story crawling across the screen, and I totally thought it was another Laci Peterson story. I think it was FOX News that had the crawl that said "Did the Runaway Bride Break the Law" and I was like: "What did this woman do and why is it news?"
I totally was confused as to why this was making Yahoo! headlines. It makes a bit more sense to me now that you pointed out the whole "Laci Peterson II" thing.
I think the really horrible thing about this story is that this woman felt that it would be a better option to fake her own kidnapping and run to another state than to face her fiancee and 600 guest-wedding.
That was one scared woman.
I wonder what percentage of soon-to-be-married folk can sympathize. Hopefully, not many.
I wonder what they did with all the catering. That's a lot of chicken cordon bleu.
Brad|W|P|So the news media is caught up in lies and greed, what does Jesus tell us to do about it? We can easily point out the wrongs of the world. But Jesus tells us to proclaim His Truth and His Truth will set us free! Through Christ we are the lights on the side of a hill. Empowered by the Holy Spirit we are the salt of the earth. So to point out that the news media is all about greed doesn’t do anything, we already know it. But to proclaim some of God’s Truth along with it, now that is what we should be doing!