Media Bias

[guidofatherof5]

I've noticed for sometime that the media doesn't paint a very good picture of snakes. I recently read an article about a young man bitten by a rattlesnake while hunting with his father. The article said the boy was walking through a tall weed area when the snake attacked.
Attacked, more like this guy stepped on it and it defended itself. The snake was killed by the father and the boy recovered from the bite.
I just found it interesting that fault is very rarely placed anywhere but on the snake. I wasn't there but common sense tells me this wasn't a snake attack.

Today, I received my July copy of Reptile magazine and found the ad. on page 43.
Once again, the snake is being portrayed as the aggressor and for what reason? Ticket sales/door admission.
So, they're going to agitated/harass/prod and poke these snake to perform for the audience. All the time sending a negative image of animals that in most cases just want to be left alone.

[ssssnakeluvr]

lots of morons out here.... without the shock factor not as many people would come to see these snakes. and of course....probably no one that doesnt have knowledge of snakes realizes it says the kid was in tall grass when the snake "attackes".....duh...kid stepped on it cuz he didn't see it

[gregmonsta]

I heard the full story on viperkeeper's channel.

Family goes walking .... dad sees big rattlesnake ... wants to take pictures but it slithers off ... they go further up the path ... find a smaller one ... dad harasses it with stick for photos ... snake goes defensive ... dad decides to move it off the path by picking it up with the stick and launching it ... he ends up throwing the snake onto the rear of his kids thigh where it decides to lash out ... dad now sueing the park ... idiot is too mild a word.

[RicMartin]

We need to talk to snakeless people about our snakes;
& keep talking, & talking, & talking, ad nauseam.

[Didymus20X6]

I was deathly afraid of snakes until about two years ago. This forum helped me not only to overcome my fear, but to appreciate these fine animals for what they are: beautiful creatures given to us to enjoy.

The idiot suing the park: I think about him like I think about the people who sue McDonald's because they eat too many Big Macs, don't exercise enough, and consequently die of heart attacks. It's not their fault you couldn't walk your lazy butt across the street to the Subway instead. You play with fire and burn yourself, you shouldn't be allowed to sue the match company.

[drache]

snakes and pit bulls . . .

[BLUESIRTALIS]

I seen a garter on the news last night that popped out the top of somones dishwasher. The reporter said the snake put up a good fight.

[guidofatherof5]

Hype. That's what the media does.
I watched some video of a police arrest. I watched the suspect walk out of his house and lay down on the grass putting his hands behind his back.
The commentator stated that the officers rushed the suspect and slammed him to the ground.

[PINJOHN]

got a demonstration of your point only today, doing a crossword in my newspaper one answer was boa, you might expect that the clue would be large snake or constrictor or something like that, the clue was actually, crushing snake, which is not only alarmist its also inaccurate

[guidofatherof5]

This ad has been eating away at me as I think it goes against "Reptiles" magazine's purpose of presenting reptiles in a positive light. We all know how they are going to display these/this poor rattlesnake and cobra. How they are going to get them to strike and "hood-up". Is this the kind of treatment these animals deserve or should be put through?
I know this magazine would never publish an article that promoted this kind of treatment and or display of these animals, so why accept and ad. Well, I know why $

I contacted the publishing office of this magazine to register a comment. I was given a voice mail where I left a somewhat sketchy message in the hopes they would call back.

A few hours later I was contacted by a representative. I voiced my opinion and was told that he wasn't in charge of that ad and would forward my info. to the right office.
I'm not sure it will change anything now or in the future but I'm not going to be silent.