I've written about this before with scowling disapproval (see my two pence worth on 23rd October 2014 when the Toposcope atop the Malvern Hills was spray painted). Still, it hasn't stopped at all. Reading the Malvern Gazette, it seems like there has been a rise in anti-social behaviour and low level crime: from a Santa Klaus being assaulted to a home being pelted with eggs and the continuing graffiti attacks. And this is probably just more than a mere hunch, given to me by scanning bylines and sub-headings. The Worcester News has reported that violent crime (in Worcester) is up by nearly a fifth in one year alone.
BUT, does this press coverage actually serve to create two negatives? Does it first serve to 'empower' the idiot hooligans who get their kicks in this way, and secondly, does it actually make readers fearful about the communities we are living in?
Certainly, the press has a responsibility to report these events. We cannot argue against that in any way. But should they not take care to ensure that both negatives are (somehow!) kept to a minimum?