Alexandria, LA (1/9/2024) – Recently, two well-known members of Alexandria were arrested. Their charges were for aggravated battery and simple robbery.
For some reason, Less than 2 hours after these individuals were booked, bonded out, and released, a press release from the Alexandria Police Department (APD) was released to the public and all media outlets. Remember that the Mayor’s office authorizes all APD press releases.
The largest news sources in Central Louisiana even picked up the story and published it on their platforms.
Some are asking why UrbanCast/3IA did not cover this story and alleging bias in our coverage. The reason is simple: we did not cover it on principle.
We, as a news organization, try to be fair and straight down the middle with our coverage. According to our records and information obtained from City of Alexandria Facebook Page, APD Facebook Page, and APD’s website, no police press releases were authorized by the City of Alexandria Mayor’s Office for crimes of aggravated battery and simple robbery. Zero, not one.
So now the question for us became why this one was so important that it deserved an official press release from APD authorized by the Mayor’s office. Of all the aggravated battery charges and simply robbery charges, why this one?
This is the same Administration that takes days to put out press releases on murders, armed robberies, aggravated assaults, fentanyl overdoses, and other violent crimes tangibly affecting this community. What made this one so newsworthy that it is an outlier?
So, no, we are not biased in our coverage. We don’t show favoritism in our coverage. We know a calculated setup when we see one.
Our recommendation to the administration is to start doing press releases on all aggravated batteries and simple robberies, and we will cover them. Start making press releases 2 hours after a murderer turns themselves in for murder. Start making press releases in 2 hours when serious crimes happen in this community. Then we will cover that.
Our platform will not be used by those few who are always trying to discredit us and push their political narrative.
UrbanCast/3iA covers the news that is important to the well-being of the community. That affects the day-to-day living circumstances in this community. That affects the livelihood of the people in this community.
This story and the circumstances/practices failed to meet any of those criteria. So that is why we didn’t cover it. It’s not newsworthy!
