When it comes to hindsight most individuals have 20/20 vision, which is clear in the article “Background Check.” The article at first glance appears to be an article about the hiring process of the University Police Department. However, in the midst of a description of the polygraph procedure, the writers mentioned information from the personnel files of two of the officers involved in the shooting of student Kofi Adu-Brempong.
By giving these examples the article seems to insinuate that past infractions on the part of these officers were an indication of the events to unfold. The article passes judgment on these officers without giving any information other than a brief mention of illegal actions committed in their past that did not keep them from getting jobs as officers.
If a person were to read the personnel files of every UPD officer, there would surely be examples of highly regarded officers who had similar past violations. Any conclusion can be supported if you only examine the evidence that suits your purposes.
I bring this up because it concerns me that writers may be manipulating information for the sake of their articles, a natural and often unintended effect of reporting. The media has a bad reputation for being biased, and we all have to be careful not to perpetuate it.
