Media can help stop the murder madness in New Orleans

On Saturday night there was another murder in New Orleans. That would make the 10th or 11th murder, depending on who is counting (and what one considers a murder), since the beginning of the year.

This murder is only the first since Mayor Nagin and Police Chief Riley announced their crime crack-down initiatives. This is the first murder since the mayor said he was "re-energized" last Thursday by thousands of his citizens who march on City Hall and got in his face.

Perhaps, the mayor's "re-energized" efforts are working to some extent. The city is now currently suffering from a murder every other day instead of one (or more) per day.

A suggestion to the media:

It would put a lot of pressure on all our public officials to address the crime wave, if the media instead of just reporting the murders would include in their stories a running total of them for the year.

I know that it will be difficult because I have learned that all homicides in New Orleans are not murders.

It's a technical thing, but a lot more people are being killed than is reported because some of the killings are classified as "justifiable homicides." I'm sure this will make the citizens feel safer.

That is, if one trusts getting their information from the NOPD. But I digress and this is another story with which perhaps one day the media will enlighten us.