Yesterday, the Washington Post published a story about two shoplifting suspects who were shot over the weekend by a Prince George's County police officer. The suspects were shot after they attempted to drive away with the officer's arm lodged in the door of their getaway car. But the Post story was not concerned with the [...]

On Friday, a two-car collision rocked the East Tennessee town of Huntsville, killing five people and injuring three others. The event is undoubtedly tragic; when filtered through media reports, however, it becomes sensational. An Associated Press story on the crash lends some insight into how news orgs identify the newsworthiness of the deceased. Here's the [...]