uptown_gargoyle t1_iyco4ch wrote
Reply to comment by collectallfive in Philly DA files motion to reconsider sentence for former officer convicted of voluntary manslaughter by redeyeblink
>Ruch was convicted of 11.5 to 23 months behind bars for the deadly shooting.
Normally people are convicted of crimes and then sentenced to prison terms. I've never heard of somebody being convicted of a prison term.
What the fuck is going on with local news?
collectallfive t1_iycr7yx wrote
Tbh I was being a little disingenuous because I know what's happening, and has been happening for decades: police/crime reporters employ passive voice to diminish police culpability for their actions so they have sympathetic contacts within the force in order to break news earlier than their competitors.
We saw this in Virginia last week when a sheriff's deputy catfished some teen and killed her whole family and the news outlet referred to him as an "ex-police worker" and then an "ex-trooper" despite having only acquired the "ex-" distinction after he was killed in a shootout with police.
uptown_gargoyle t1_iycrx0w wrote
Oooo I actually love this subject (passive voice being used to cover up the crimes of those in power).
The historical marker outside the Paul Robeson house is a really good example.
>[Robeson's] career suffered because of his political activism...
This makes it sound like he was bad at time management or something, and he neglected his work in order to do activist stuff. But the reality of course is that he was blacklisted by the government for being a socialist and a peace activist.
Krasmaniandevil t1_iycub7z wrote
Technically, a conviction requires being found guilty and being sentenced even though colloquially convicted often refers to only the verdict.
Maybe that's what the author intended to convey, but their phrasing is quite possibly the worst possible option they could have picked.
randym99 t1_iyczz5x wrote
Listen to John Oliver's recent piece on crime reporting by local news: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCOnGjvYKI0
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