Exploring beloved crime logs

Freedom of information laws require police to keep a record of daily activities that is open to public inspection. Search the Internet or a community newspaper for a crime log. Why are crime logs frequently described as one of the most-read features of any news organization?

Student activities at three levels:

Flashlight: Find a local police log, either in print or online. Look through a few weeks of reports. What surprises you? What would you make into stories? Was it because the story was important or just interesting? Pick one or more human interest stories. Tell it in the form of a poem.

Spotlight: In the satirical Colbert Report, the crime log led to a reporter visiting Rogers Road and doing an unrelated story for Georgia’s Athens Banner-Herald. Discuss in class: Why was the first story too thin for the newspaper? Why was the second story better? Why did the source have credibility? How did the second story become nationally known?

Searchlight: Study the links above. What was the Colbert team really trying to say in its satire? Now look at the reality TV show “Here comes Honey Boo Boo” and this Atlanta Journal Constitution blog about its popularity.  Are crime logs popular for the same reason reality TV shows are popular? Make a reality TV-style video of your own effort to look over a local police log. Will the police allow you to make a video inside the station? If not, do it outside.