All the News, or Some of It?

ThisCommercial Appeal story, about a possible name change for three Memphis parks, struck me as oddly lacking, as I remembered seeing a television news story that had a different flavor to it. Sure enough, it was a WMC/5 story. Let's compare.

The Commercial Appeal's headlines start us out:

Parks name change urged

Committee advocates renaming 3 Confederate parks

Makes it sound unanimous and all good, doesn't it? Continuing:

The Center City Commission committee that's been considering changes at three Memphis parks is recommending name changes for Confederate, Jefferson Davis and Forrest Parks.

The committee recommendation goes to the full Center City Commission July 21 for approval. If the CCC board agrees, the recommendation would then go to the City Council for consideration.

The three-member CCC committee, headed by County Commissioner Walter Bailey, also recommended that the City Council "review and explore the appropriateness" of statues honoring the Confederate cause in those parks, Bailey said.

A news scanner like me, who tends to skim, would be confused into thinking this reflected the CCC's views.

The article doesn't get into the internals of the committee's work, nor does it mention Bailey's reputation for political grandstanding and for trying for cheap political points on this issue. Again, we're sort of left with an impression of a majority's clear voice and a direct call for specific action.

Read the WMC/5 story, however, and it's a different tale:

But a recommendation to strip Memphis of its confederate history was made rather quietly in downtown Memphis Tuesday. Only the center city commission's subcommittee on parks was present when chairman and county commissioner Walter Bailey began drafting the language of parks proposal.

Bailey wants to, quote, "Urge the (full) center city commission to recommend to the city council that full and serious consideration be given to renaming the parks and removing the monuments in a manner that would be lawful and sensitive."

Committee member Jennifer Hagerman thought it best to leave monument removal in the hands of city council members.

"We as committee didn't investigate the feasibility of removing the monuments the legality of removing the monuments," said Jennifer Hagerman of the Center City Commission.

Bailey agreed to make the change. The full center city commission will vote on the proposal on July 21st. At least three of the 17 who will vote agree that they're doing what's right for Memphis.

"The city council has full authority and all we're doing is merely advising them what we have learned and hopefully they'll consider the issue look at the info we've looked at and make their own judgement," said Hagerman.

That vote will take place July 21st at noon. There are twenty seats on the commission and its board, only 17 of them are filled at the moment. A majority vote is all that's needed.

Hmmmm.... I'm not trying to make a big deal of this, but just point out how context can make the story.