Why WMBF News Covered the Horse Abuse Story

     We’ve gotten a lot of calls and comments into WMBF News asking why we chose to run the story about the man who is charged with having inappropriate relations with a horse. I want to thank everyone who took the time to call, email, leave comments on facebook or send a tweet. We want to encourage all of our viewers to let us know what is important to them. I also want to take the opportunity tell you why I thought it was a story that needed to be covered. 
    First and foremost, it was our responsibility. A horrible crime was committed in our viewing area and we have responsibility to report it. Too often, the stories we report aren’t good news. The story that immediately followed the horse story at 5:30 was about a man on trial accused of trying to kill his wife in front of their kids. We didn’t get a single complaint about that story. 
     As a news organization, we also have a responsibility to shine light on problems that need to be resolved. This crime was committed by a person who needs professional help. With the attention devoted to this by the media, I think there is a stronger chance of this man getting the help he needs. Often people who need mental help are pushed aside. With the amount of public attention on this case, I feel this is less likely to happen.
   The story of the horse’s owner also needs to be told. She is a woman who cares very deeply about her horse. She was obviously dedicated to keeping her animals safe. Too often, we report on people who do horrible things to animals. This was a woman who cared enough to put herself at risk to keep them safe.
   At WMBF News we love to hear from our viewers. Your comments are important to us. We want to make sure your concerns are addressed and do the stories that are important to you. I would personally love to hear from you.

Jennifer Dale
Executive Producer
WMBF News
jdale@wmbfnews.com

Comments

[M G]

When I read the story I to thought was what kind of individual is this that would do something of that nature.
And I also thought what is in the mind of such a person,it's a behavior that one must ask what psychological abnormalities that exist.
Is it chemical,habitual,is it a substitute for an action that he was trying to prevent from another human?
I thought it was a story that isn't as common as murders or other types of crimes was as important to the wel lbeing of readers as well.