Philip Wharton

I'm a regular watcher and supporter of the PBS Newshour over many years. Occasionally, something really sloppy gets through, and unfortunately sometimes on important issues. The extended 10-minute piece on the Rodney King uprising on Friday night was the most recent example. Amid all the discussion about the riots, the situation in South LA, and the "context" of the events, there was barely a mention of the Rodney King trial itself. After one sentence in the opening statement, there was nary of mention of the most important "context" that triggered the riots - the video, the trial, the coverage, etc. I don't understand how something of such poor quality gets past the PBS Newshour team. It is a real dis-service, when the context for racial violence and other contentious issues, is so important.