Reality TV Crew Catches Girl's Death

The death of Aiyana Stanley-Jones, the 7-year-old girl who was killed when a cop broke down her door while looking for a homicide suspect and accidentally shot her as she slept on the couch, was a national news story in and of itself. But it gets worse: The Detroit police were being filmed that night by a television crew for A&E’s upcoming show, The First 48. The New York Times asks, “Does the presence of TV crews affect how well police officers do their jobs?” One former cop and author says, “Those cameras can influence the behavior of what’s already a very dangerous and unpredictable job.” And a professor who specializes in reality television says, “There is evidence that they do tend to go into lower-income neighborhoods and are less likely to be shown policing affluent white suburban spaces. They want a particular kind of drama. They want the money shot.”