From the beginning of the Bell case the Daily News (along with columnists Denis Hammil, and Mike Daly) has been a shrill voice of hysteria in this matter. From it's inception we were treated to huge headlines with the term "50 shots" being their mantra. We had the term "groom" shoved down our throats, as if this shooting took place at a wedding hall. If Bell were getting scuba certified the next day, would they constanly harp about the tragic "diver to be"? They would not do that, because it would not inflame people that read about it and would not sell papers.We were even treated to a glimpse of Det. Oliver's social life. How dare he go out on his own time spending his own money when he was just indicted? And harp on that they did.
The Daily News has created a perception of gross negligence, incompetence and worse. A lot of people in Queens believe what they read and are probably becoming angered because of it. But here's the problem; as the trial unfolds the evidence has told exactly the opposite. These Detectives were doing their job in a professional manner. These "victims" are merely a group of hardened ex-cons.
Does anyone notice that as the trial went on it did not get the same attention the story did before the facts came out? Did you notice all of a sudden Hammil and Daley are doing the 'ole soft shoe' around a big pile of poop? Well guess what? The perception of wrongdoing is still hanging in the air, because they won't sell papers with the truth in their headlines. The Daily News should have realized no matter how much frosting you put on a turd, when you bite into you're still eating crap, which is what they have been feeding it's readers on this story.
When the trial was about to begin, DEA President Michael Palladino tried to get the local media to understand our point of view. Their take on what he told them was shameful. They found his scenario dubious. I happen to know Mike from the 52 when he was in anti-crime, and I can say with complete confidence he's probably forgotten more about police work than all of them put together will ever know (The Daily News reporters know more about police work than any of us). All of a sudden though, with the truth now coming out Mike is is their darling and Mike Daly had the absolute gall to suggest Palladino get together with Al Sharpton to help combat guns. Hey Mike, guess why that will never work? Because Al Sharpton does not care about black people victimizing themselves, and Mike Palladino has been at the service of those same communities and I can guarantee he's done more for black people than Sharpton.
I have even wrote to the Daily News challenging both men point by point about this shooting. The News called me stated they wanted to print what I wrote as an Op-Ed piece then tried to replace it with the writing of an editor. (Here is the link for the complete post, including what I wrote and what they sent back; http://theerant.yuku.com/topic/1741 )
They wanted to change what I wrote because some of it was 'irrelevant'.
In conclusion if the Daily News had been more open and honest in it's coverage of this story, a lot of people may see the truth and not have a need for violence. But that would not serve the Daily News PC agenda
