Smack these TV idiots please!! Worst abuse ever of term "Sniper"

[hillbilly]

The local CBS affiliate in Fort Smith, AR, is KFSM Channel 5.

They have a long, proud history of total bumbling incompetence.

Typically, the folks who get jobs at KFSM are either the TV third-stringers who couldn't a job in a "real" tv market like Tulsa, OK, or they are hometown homers who don't want to go any where else.

Over the past 24 hours, they have committed the single worst repeated abuse of the term "sniper" that I have ever heard.

They are referring to a criminal as the "Sallisaw Sniper." There's a controversy as the Oklahoma court of appeals has overturned this jerk's conviction by reason of insanity.

Only the "Sallisaw Sniper" shot people by driving around in his truck and randomly shooting people with a 20 gauge shotgun.

That's right, a young punk wack job does some random drive-bys with a 20 gauge SHOTGUN and the local TV idiots now call him the "Sallisaw SNIPER."

Here's the link to the story. Below that is a link to KFSM's feedback page.

Let them have it. Please.

http://www.kfsm.com/Global/story.asp?S=5318800

 

[1 old 0311]

Shotgun Sniper? Kind of puts a whole new mening to it doesn't it.

 

[hillbilly]

Here's the email I have just sent KFSM Channel 5 about their "use" of the term "sniper."




For the past 24 hours I have winced every single time one of your news readers has referred to Daniel Hawke Fears as the Sallisaw "Sniper."

This gross misuse of the term "sniper" is not just offensive, it is horribly misleading and not accurate journalism at all.

The criminal Fears used a shotgun and drove around to shoot random people in Sallisaw.

Real snipers are highly-trained and skilled military or law enforcement professionals who use rifles to make shots sometimes beyond 1000 yards. Calling this criminal a "sniper" is offensive to every single law enforcement and military sniper in the TV 5 viewing area, which is a lot more people than you might imagine.

The term "sniper" is often times abused by journalists to create drama and hype for their stories and used to describe thugs and criminals who commit crimes.

However, in the other cases where the term "sniper" is used by journalists to create hype for their stories, at least the offending thugs have typically actually used a rifle of some sort.

There is no way that the term "sniper" can apply in any sense of the word to someone who committed random drive-by shootings with a shotgun. There is nothing sniper-related about shotguns at all.

It would be like calling a wayward teenager with cellphone video camera who records something and offers commentary like "Whoa, dude.....check it out" a television journalist.

 

[birddog]

This gross misuse of the term "sniper" is not just offensive, it is horribly misleading and not accurate journalism at all.

I think you're wasting your time. While you are accurate, they aren't going to care.

 

[zastros]

It's all about the alliteration. The "Salisaw Sick-Minded Shotgunner" just doesn't parse very well.

zastros

 

[birddog]

It's all about the alliteration. The "Salisaw Sick-Minded Shotgunner" just doesn't parse very well.

And the "Salisaw Schizophrenic Scattergunner" is way too complex for the average TV anchor to spit out. Too complex for even a way above average one, too, I would guess.

 

[Roadwild17]

I think I have it

The term sniper is attested from 1824 in the sense of "sharpshooter." The verb to snipe originated in the 1770s among soldiers in British India in the sense of "to shoot from a hidden place," in allusion to snipe hunting, a game bird known for being difficult to sneak up on. Those who were skilled at the hunting of this bird were dubbed snipers.

The term thus emphasises field craft and skills of camouflage as well as marksmanship, and is typically used for infantry soldiers so skilled, who specialize in killing selected enemies from concealment with a rifle at long distances.

From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

I bet some writer saw "to shoot from a hidden place" and just jumped to the conclusion "he was hiding in his truck = sniper", and didnt bother to read the rest expecially the part about a rifle.

Plus the "Sallisaw Drive-by Shotgunner" dosent quiet strike fear into my heart like "Sallisaw Shiper" does

 

[#shooter]

“Sallisaw Sniper” just rolls off the tongue like “asinine anchor” or “retarded reporter”. It’s just writes itself.

 

[hillbilly]

Roadwild17, you are giving them far too much credit.

Here's a local newspaper story.

The "Sallisaw Sniper" walked up to some of his victims in their yards, and shot them from point-blank range.

He then got into his truck and drove around shooting at random other people.


http://swtimes.com/articles/2004/09/17/news/export68313.txt

 

[FJC]

I realize those that frequent gun forums have a more refined definition of the word "sniper", but here's the definition according to American Heritage dictionary. The second definition could easily apply.

American Heritage Dictionary -
snip·er (snpr)
n.
1) A skilled military shooter detailed to spot and pick off enemy soldiers from a concealed place.
2) One who shoots at other people from a concealed place.

 

[sacp81170a]

Real snipers are highly-trained and skilled military or law enforcement professionals who use rifles to make shots sometimes beyond 1000 yards.

Actually, I would reserve the term 'sniper' for the guys who do a lot more in the field than hit those 1,000 yard shots. When I was on the EST at Warren AFB, the term we used for the guy on the team with the scoped rifle was 'marksman'. Far more accurate and not easily confused with 'sniper'. A SWAT marksman is called upon to make precision shots at ranges that are typically no more than 100 meters. A sniper is far, far more skilled at fieldcraft and several other disciplines.

I would no more claim to be a sniper than I would claim to be a helicopter pilot because I've ridden in one. The view might be similar, but the skills involved are light years apart.

 

[Ezekiel]

Hillbilly, "you're my boy." But I have to disagree on the context of the word "sniper."

Personally, I think you can "snipe" with a hand grenade, provided you attack from a place of concealment at a specific target.

Respectfully -- YOU are the college-level English instructor, not me -- such has always been my interpretation of the word.

"I could be wrong."

Still, this does not excuse the rampant yellow journalism in Ft. Smith, AR, regarding Sallisaw, OK. hell, I've got friends in Sallisaw, it's still a dung heap.