Why aren't people reporting?

Okay, mods, I have no idea where to put this thread so please move to appropriate forum.

I had an incident happen that was unusual for this area. I am not a big poster and mostly lurk. (You people are scary to post stuff to because you have a tendency to go off on OP.) I debated all morning about whether I should post the incident. Finally I got the nerve up and posted it. It wasn't received well and wasn't very popular. But someone in that thread talked about two things happening in there town that was strange and appeared to be a cover up of some kind.

This got me to thinking about the million things that are happening in these little towns that never comes to the mass public and are tucked away in a tiny article in the local newspaper. The incident I reported would have never seen the light of day if I hadn't brought it here and I almost didn't. So how many other stories are hidden in the dark?

Some might say, well if it was big enough it would come out on national news. That is not necessarily true. I have seen several stories that were similar to a national story not go national. If you truly wear a tin foil hat then it seems you would be more interested in these tucked away stories than the ones served up to you on a silver platter.

Far more than people realise ... as to reasons why not reporting it ranges from fear of being ridiculed to being deliberatly suppressed ..

a reply to: stellawayten

I guess


Posting a story in an open forum such as this you'll receive all types of opinions, biased views and even ridicule sometimes if there is a bit of controversy to said 'story'. I wouldn't take others opinions to the contrary that personally. 'Popular opinion' has been proven time and time again to often be wrong or not in command of all the facts at the time.

Discussion, debates and even arguing should be expected when a member decides to shift from being a lurker to a poster.

It's a dangerous job, the pay is non existent and the critics are brutal but the pucker factor is off the scale.

You are being very vague. What sort of "strange" things are you talking about?

a reply to: DJW001

I was vague because I didn't want this post to be like a second post about the same thing. And if you are talking about the other member I was talking about, they never elaborated.

a reply to: stellawayten
You are talking generally about a very narrow frame of reference (your specific subject).
We can't help you if you can't help us understand the predicament that you assume you are caught up within.

originally posted by: stellawayten
a reply to: DJW001

I was vague because I didn't want this post to be like a second post about the same thing. And if you are talking about the other member I was talking about, they never elaborated.

I suppose the vague answer to your question is: not everyone considers everything newsworthy.

Yall are missing the point. My post isn't about the incident I posted about on a different thread. My post is suppose to be about all of the things that happen across the world that we never hear about that could be connected to each other in someway but we won't be able to connect the dots because no one posts about it.

But I suppose it's my fault. I'm not that great at expressing the thoughts in my head clearly.

a reply to: stellawayten

(You people are scary to post stuff to because you have a tendency to go off on OP.)

I just spewed my coffee all over my keyboard from open-mouthed laughter.

You said it so matter-of-fact-ly...

Too funny !

unscrew the keyboard at the back and give it a hit with a hair dryer, worked for me.

It's all about money. Will the story bring in money or cost money. A cover up falls into the cost someone money side, of course.

I also think the idea of news reporting in today's world is being used rather loosely. By old standards, it's more of editorials than news.

Your thread contained very little information....only that a tanker hit the gas pumps it was supposed to refuel, started a fire and when the driver got out to tend to the fire he forgot to put the truck in park....so it rolled onto the grass.

Accidents happen, but you presented it as something nefarious by mentioning the drivers possible nationality. That certainly made it seem like racial profiling, as there is no information -as yet- to suggest anything other than an unfortunate accident.

You would be surprised at how many refueling accidents happen on a daily basis; drivers forget to put the truck in park, or forget to put up their refueling hose before driving off....or pull in too close and hit the pumps, or the building.
I suppose the smaller the town, the more news-worthy it seems. Add a foreign sounding name and paranoia can kick in.

a reply to: nugget1

Once again I will say this thread isn't about my other thread. It's suppose to be about people not reporting incidents just like the one I did which may have been just an accident but let's say that this happened all.over Texas but no one ever says anything about it. If guys with Saudi names who lie about their race start ramming gas tankers all over Texas than I say that is a sign that something is up. But if no one posts those stories on here because they are scared or they dont want to be considered a racial profiler or because they are just hoping someone else will do it... we will never be able to connect the dots.

please someone tell me they understand my point. I really want to get it across to the community because I think it is important.

a reply to: stellawayten

I understand your point, and it it's a good point too. The trick is to make sure what you're reporting is a genuinely odd occurrence or something that would make the average person question the circumstances. It's tough to figure out what will pique people's interests or trigger their spidey sense.

originally posted by: CranialSponge
a reply to: stellawayten

(You people are scary to post stuff to because you have a tendency to go off on OP.)

I just spewed my coffee all over my keyboard from open-mouthed laughter.

You said it so matter-of-fact-ly...

Too funny !

I did my keyboard the other night and a month ago i spilled a cup on not 1 but 5 laptops at my feet killing them all coffee and computers do not mix ,when i am around

It shouldn't be this way. I hope that this is just a quark and it doesn't happen often. I like the free flow of information and those actions that prevent people from posting really aren't helping this sight grow at all.

a reply to: stellawayten

I am not sure what you mean here. Do you mean why aren't people reporting random incidents more often to the general public?

Sometimes people view a random incident as nothing more than that. But ATS isn't a reporting forum, it is an information sharing social media network of forums.

So when you say report, it takes on a different meaning than just saying something happened that interested you enough to share. ATS might be wonderful, but it is not an authority and never presents itself as such. You can say what you saw or what you read, but it isn't reporting.

I suggest you just say what you think and how it relates to your worldview, others will then either read or respond.