Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sharing an email from the Annapolis Police Department which is seeking your help - can you share the good stories with your friends? I know about propaganda - having been in journalism for 25 years - but I also wrote about the more positive happenings in the community. I'm going to provide the police with an outlet here to inform you of good stuff - you can decide its value. Here's the latest from Hal Dalton at the Annapolis Police Department.
"Lately, it seems the officers and APD have been subjected to some particularly harsh press. We do not suggest for one second that we should be above criticism and always do things perfectly. Far from it.
"We actually welcome scrutiny and constructive criticism. It helps us improve our level of services. By the same token, it seems some media prefer to accentuate the negative, while ignoring the positive. Our officers are doing things above and beyond the call of duty every day, both on and off the job. Rarely will you see this reflected in the traditional media. You won*t see a story about an officer handling a panhandling complaint at a fast food restaurant by buying a down and out homeless man a meal out of his own pocket, then finding him a place to stay for the night. You may not see a story about two officers rushing into a burning building and hustling an elderly resident out. You won*t see stories about officers taking armed suicidal subjects into custody without any injuries being involved. You may, but only if there is not enough *bad news* to report that day, it seems. That is quite understandable, as the traditional media is a business and the old axiom no doubt holds true about bad things being news.
"We are seeking outlets to disseminate * good news* about our agency and personnel. If any readers run or participate in any other information sharing forums, such as blogs, newsletters, or publications, we would like to enlist your help. We would like to send you such stories occasionally for your consideration in your venue. If anyone is in such a position, we ask that you e-mail or call us so that we may add you to our list of recipients.
"As always, of course, you are free to link to this report, re-produce it , or otherwise use the information conducive to your interests."
hdalton@annapolis.gov
(410) 268-9000 ext. 7305
I look forward to receiving the "press releases" and will share those items with you.
Mary