MYTH ADDICTS

THE revelation this week that stories of candy-flavoured crystal meth
are almost certainly false should serve as a cautionary tale not only
for the public, but also for the media.

Tales of the deadly drug supposedly marketed directly to children
spread like wildfire in recent months. While nervous citizens are in
part to blame, the flames were fanned in large part by the press, who
were all too eager to report it.

The phenomenon points to a persistent flaw in the media's approach to
crime. In our pursuit of the cathartic - especially of stories that
invoke anger or outrage - we focus on the dark side of society to the
point of misrepresenting it.

Just last month, an Ipsos Reid poll showed just 12 per cent of
Canadians believe crime is dropping, despite the fact it has been
doing so for years, according to Statistics Canada.

There is no question the media are complicit in this misperception.
Serious crime makes eye-catching headlines, so we seek it out
regardless of the trend. If there is no murder here, we'll report one
from the next city.

In this environment, it is no wonder USA Today and even our local
papers would jump on a story about candy meth without solid evidence
of its existence. And it is no wonder the public would believe it.

We in the media must be careful to take a measured approach to
reporting, reminding the public of the real dangers they face, while
at the same time keeping them in perspective.