The Stark Family
Recently, the New York Post’s lead story about a Hasidic man
in shtreimel and bekishe with the headline reading “Who didn’t want him dead?”
on the left-hand side shocked people throughout New York
City and beyond. It is shocking because of what
happened and also the headline. As a graduate from UW-Oshkosh’s journalism
department, and religious studies minor who studied the history of Hasidim, I
see the headline as what it really is – tasteless. That’s right folks, tasteless. And here’s why.
We must realize it was shocking in and of itself that a man,
a father, a faithful member of a religious community was found murdered in such
a barbaric, uncivilized manner. It is terrible to think a person, made by the
Almighty would have to suffer such a heartless death. To make matters worse,
the Post added insult to injury to a grieving family, by defaming his name and
reducing him to a “slumlord” and making him out to be some sort of criminal.
The headline should have read: “Missing NY Property Developer Found Murdered.”
That’s a lot for a grieving family and community to bear, regardless of who it
is, but at least there is respect for
the deceased. But let us ask ourselves, should a murder of a person, no matter
whom, be a front page story? Shouldn’t there be consideration to the family and
friends left behind? Has present reporting journalism lost all heart?
The current media seems to worship bad things happening to people no matter whom or where they
are. It is as if nothing good happens in the media and we wonder why most of
the Western world is all drugged on antidepressants. Hardly anything charitable,
community-building or praiseworthy seems to make it to be a front-page
headline. From terrorist attacks in Iraqi cities that kill hundreds of people,
to devastating natural events that leave people homeless to murders, the media
seems to praise atrocities. What if your mother or relative was killed in a
terrorist attack, your neighbor left homeless and hungry after a tornado, or in
this case, what if your father or husband was found brutally murdered? How
would a newspaper reporter feel if something bad like that happened to a loved
one and make front-page news? Is there no heart for families or the deceased?
Therefore, do journalists these days not see the whole
story? After reading the article I came (as did many others), that it was
obviously one-sided. The article prattled about what “sources” – many who
apparently have no names - said about Stark. Here was a man who devoted his life
to faith, family and friends. Do journalists not understand the people they
write about have emotions, relatives, and a community or do journalists think
the people whom they write about are just soulless-objects like doors, nails,
and bricks? I suggest the NY Post along with all other news outlets take into
account the “human side” of a tragedy, not just treating people as if they are
objects to be studied. The NY Post, seems to not discuss something rather
important in a murder case – the murderers. Until we know who murdered Menachem
Stark, killers are on the loose. I know these days of mourning will be tough, I
bid his family all the best during these times, yet “Stark” as it comes from
German, means “strong” - and I know they will be.
Menachem Stark
Eternal be his memory.
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