New Data Show Houston Murder Rate Down 25%
Will Houston TV News Reporters Admit They Have a Problem?
A new report from AH Datalytics reveals a massive decline in Houston’s murder rate. So far this year, Houston has seen a 25% drop in homicides compared to the same time last year.
Why it matters: KPRC, Fox 26, ABC 13, and KHOU 11 all devote a massive amount of broadcast time to covering violent crime, leading to increasing concerns among voters about local crime. This new data demonstrates that what viewers see daily on TV news and what is actually happening on the ground are two different things.
Zoom out: The report isn’t a one-off. It tracks what local law enforcement agencies are reporting too. Last year, the Houston Police Department reported an 18% decline in violent crime.
Analysis: When crime is up, Houston’s local TV news stations - encouraged by right-leaning groups like crimestoppers - are all too eager to sound the alarm. But when crime drops, they discount the trends by noting that people aren’t feeling it. But aren’t they feeling it because they keep sounding the alarm? The cycle continues.
Go deeper:
has much more here. Axios also covers the news here.