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Chapter Eight: If It Bleeds, It Leads Coverage of shocking crimes, from the kidnapping of Patty Hearst to the Manson Family murders, grabbed headlines throughout the 1970s. But how and why did crime coverage expand to dominate local newscasts in the 1980s? New portable videotape technology made possible instant coverage of events such as the LAPD shootout with the Symbionese Liberation Army. Crime coverage became so pervasive that viewers were convinced crime was on the rise, even as statistics showed a decrease. Coverage of less sensational topics, such as government and community affairs, was squeezed out by the bloodbath on the airwaves. |