Community Corner

On the Nature of News

Join Kennesaw Patch editor Gaetana Pipia each night to comment, muse and reflect on the city we live in.

Today, we reported on who was left inside a vehicle for more than five hours in the parking lot of a Kennesaw day care center. This is reportedly so far this year.

Whether you judge the incident as an unfortunate accident, a horrible case of negligence or something in between, the fact remains that a child has died.

Such losses can shake the core of a local community. "How could this happen?" we ask. While we've certainly all heard about similar cases in the news, perhaps it strikes a certain chord when such a tragedy occurs here, in our town, to our children.

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And what is it about tragedy that captures our collective attention? As editor of Kennesaw Patch, I try to cover a diverse array of stories. We try to focus on positive news and events in the community while also examining more controversial matters through a critical (not cynical) lens.

While we've gotten some great feedback from the community about some of the more positive stories and features we've done, the fact remains that bad news is news.

Find out what's happening in Kennesawwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Part of being informed citizens demands a certain awareness of the good, along with the bad, of what's happening around us. But at some point, does it ever get a little depressing? Does knowledge of corruption, violence and injustice happening just outside our doorsteps make us more intelligent or involved citizens? Or is bad news merely taken in with our morning coffee, then forgotten with a gulp, a sigh and the words, "Well, that's a shame..."?

Perhaps it mostly has to do with empathy. When a community is devastated, an individual wronged or an innocent person killed, it often causes us to pause and think, "Well, that could have been me."

It's nearly 11:30, and I think my editor ramblings have gone on long enough. In short, I'd like to know, what makes you click on a "bad" or "good" news headline? And what kind of insight do you gain from it?


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