Could this headline be any more vague? "Possible Human Remains Found in Southeast"
Time for another edition of
"What is wrong with this headline?"
Today's submission comes from a sharp eyed Congress Heights resident. The article in question is from NBC Washington, "Possible Human Remains Found in Southeast"
On the good "news" front (pun intended), these types of overly broad headlines are not appearing as often, I have been seeing an increase of EotR neighborhood names being used online and in print ("Thank You" Washington Post) but I will jump for joy the day that "Southeast" will no longer be the catchall for anything that happens East of the River. The "Southeast" quadrant of DC is pretty large (it includes Capitol Hill no less) and regardless of the perception by some (including those unfortunetly that report the news), "Southeast" does not include all of River East (which is composed of three quadrants). "Southeast" and "Anacostia" are not interchangeable.
I am just a lowly blogger, but if I may, might I suggest the following alternative titles for this article:
"Police Investigate Possible Human Remains"
"Possible Human Remains Found in wooded area"
"Possible Human Remains Found During Park Clean Up"
"Possible Human Remains Found in Congress Heights"
"Possible Human Remains Found in the 200 b/o Malcolm X Ave"
Why does a headline matter? Congress Heights is still in Southeast right? Let me take this moment to point to one of the comments on this article:
Please let me take a moment to educate you on a little East of the River geography. For your convenience I am including a map indicating the location of the Historic Anacostia neighborhood and the Congress Heights neighborhood where these remains were found (fyi - during a community cleanup event organized by residents). To be fair, Historic Anacostia and Congress Heights are both located in the Southeast quadrant of the District of Columbia, both have parks, and we both do have some crime (but what neighborhood doesn't) but Congress Heights and Historic Anacostia are two separate and distinct neighborhoods, miles apart, and with different zip codes. Congress Heights is about two neighborhoods away from Anacostia. Considering how popular and sensationalized the term "Southeast" has come in reporting news East of the River it is understandable that people who don't live or work East of the River are not familiar with the geography but that is no reason to remain ignorant and definitely no reason to continue to base assumptions on an area solely on articles that don't even attribute basic facts (such as location) to the story. This type of incomplete reporting is what leads to Hollywood portraying the Anacostia community as being unsafe. If everything "bad" that happens in "Southeast" is being attributed to the Historic Anacostia neighborhood is it any wonder where these negative stereotypes are coming from?
To those in the media, please do a better job of researching stories East of the River and please include accurate neighborhood names and locations in your stories, otherwise you are attributing to the negative misconceptions and ignorance about East of the River geography and life. Those of us who live in the communities are left to deal with the fall out on a daily basis, and have the added responsibility of constantly correcting bad facts.
This isn't a new request, we have asked before, but please do us a solid and please report our news accurately, fairly, and most importantly please use neighborhood names and please use them accurately. It's time to raise the standard and awareness of District of Columbia neighborhoods, even those East of the Anacostia River.
View Historic Anacostia and Congress Heights in a larger map
To submit an article or to inquire about advertising options send an email to Advoc8te@congressheightsontherise.com
Today's submission comes from a sharp eyed Congress Heights resident. The article in question is from NBC Washington, "Possible Human Remains Found in Southeast"
Apparent human remains were found in southeast Washington over the weekend.Hmmm...
A skull and another bone were found Saturday in a park across from 204 Malcolm X Ave.
Crime scene investigators and homicide detectives went to the scene Monday to search for more remains.
It's too early to tell the age or gender or whether it is a homicide.
On the good "news" front (pun intended), these types of overly broad headlines are not appearing as often, I have been seeing an increase of EotR neighborhood names being used online and in print ("Thank You" Washington Post) but I will jump for joy the day that "Southeast" will no longer be the catchall for anything that happens East of the River. The "Southeast" quadrant of DC is pretty large (it includes Capitol Hill no less) and regardless of the perception by some (including those unfortunetly that report the news), "Southeast" does not include all of River East (which is composed of three quadrants). "Southeast" and "Anacostia" are not interchangeable.
I am just a lowly blogger, but if I may, might I suggest the following alternative titles for this article:
"Police Investigate Possible Human Remains"
"Possible Human Remains Found in wooded area"
"Possible Human Remains Found During Park Clean Up"
"Possible Human Remains Found in Congress Heights"
"Possible Human Remains Found in the 200 b/o Malcolm X Ave"
Why does a headline matter? Congress Heights is still in Southeast right? Let me take this moment to point to one of the comments on this article:
ChuckFromCharlesDear ChuckFromCharles:
You gotta love how this station poked fun at the FOX show Bones for describing Anacostia as a bad area, and then on the same page, they have a story about how human remains were found in S.E. Sure guys, Anacostia is not a bad area. Your remains could end up in a park, but that's not too bad...
http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local-beat/Boning-Up-on-Anacostia-106865228.html
Please let me take a moment to educate you on a little East of the River geography. For your convenience I am including a map indicating the location of the Historic Anacostia neighborhood and the Congress Heights neighborhood where these remains were found (fyi - during a community cleanup event organized by residents). To be fair, Historic Anacostia and Congress Heights are both located in the Southeast quadrant of the District of Columbia, both have parks, and we both do have some crime (but what neighborhood doesn't) but Congress Heights and Historic Anacostia are two separate and distinct neighborhoods, miles apart, and with different zip codes. Congress Heights is about two neighborhoods away from Anacostia. Considering how popular and sensationalized the term "Southeast" has come in reporting news East of the River it is understandable that people who don't live or work East of the River are not familiar with the geography but that is no reason to remain ignorant and definitely no reason to continue to base assumptions on an area solely on articles that don't even attribute basic facts (such as location) to the story. This type of incomplete reporting is what leads to Hollywood portraying the Anacostia community as being unsafe. If everything "bad" that happens in "Southeast" is being attributed to the Historic Anacostia neighborhood is it any wonder where these negative stereotypes are coming from?
To those in the media, please do a better job of researching stories East of the River and please include accurate neighborhood names and locations in your stories, otherwise you are attributing to the negative misconceptions and ignorance about East of the River geography and life. Those of us who live in the communities are left to deal with the fall out on a daily basis, and have the added responsibility of constantly correcting bad facts.
This isn't a new request, we have asked before, but please do us a solid and please report our news accurately, fairly, and most importantly please use neighborhood names and please use them accurately. It's time to raise the standard and awareness of District of Columbia neighborhoods, even those East of the Anacostia River.
View Historic Anacostia and Congress Heights in a larger map
To submit an article or to inquire about advertising options send an email to Advoc8te@congressheightsontherise.com