Five teens have been fatally shot on or near SEPTA's system over the last year.
On March 6th, eight high school students were shot at a bus stop on Cottman and Rising Sun Avenues while waiting for their ride home from Northeast High School. This was the fourth day in a row that a SEPTA bus had been involved in a shooting.
In recent days, there have been a series of violent incidents involving SEPTA buses in Philadelphia. On March 6th, eight high school students were shot at a bus stop on Cottman and Rising Sun Avenues while waiting for their ride home from Northeast High School. This was the fourth day in a row that a SEPTA bus had been involved in a shooting, with five teens having been fatally shot on or near SEPTA's system over the last year. The incident has sparked anger and frustration among city officials, who have vowed to work together to combat gun violence.
The people of this city will not be held hostage by gun violence.
Law enforcement throughout the city is actively engaged and working together to solve the crimes.
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by citing Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel as a source for information about the shooting and the suspects. This is problematic because it implies that Bethel's statements are true without providing any evidence or context to support them. Additionally, the article includes inflammatory rhetoric when describing the gunfire and its impact on innocent children walking away from school. The author also uses a dichotomous depiction of the neighborhood by stating that this type of violence does not typically happen in this area, which oversimplifies complex issues related to crime and safety in urban areas. Finally, there is an example of inflammatory rhetoric when describing one woman who works at the nearby Quaker Diner as saying 'These children are dying every day out here' which is a dramatic overstatement that does not accurately reflect the situation.
The author uses an appeal to authority by citing Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel as a source for information about the shooting and the suspects. This is problematic because it implies that Bethel's statements are true without providing any evidence or context to support them.
Bias
(85%)
The article contains a statement that the suspects were last seen driving over the Tookany Creek Bridge toward Cheltenham Township. This is an example of monetary bias as it implies that there may be financial incentives for those involved in this crime.
Philadelphia’s mayor declared ‘enough is enough’ after eight high school students were shot while waiting at a city bus stop Wednesday afternoon. The incident marks the fourth shooting in as many days involving a SEPTA bus.
Eleven of the victims have been children, according to police.
One of the teenagers is listed in critical condition after being shot nine times.
Accuracy
The shooting at the SEPTA bus stop in Philadelphia is not an isolated incident. There have been four shootings involving a SEPTA bus in as many days.
Eleven of the victims were children according to police.
Stop-and-frisk measures or Terry stops allow officers to stop people they suspect have committed or are about to commit a crime. In the past, it has been disproportionately used against Black and brown Philadelphians.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author uses sensationalist language such as 'enough is enough' and 'the cowardly acts that we see over the last three days are unacceptable'. This creates a sense of urgency and implies that action must be taken immediately, when in reality there may not be any immediate solutions to this problem. Secondly, the author uses selective reporting by only mentioning three shootings involving SEPTA buses within the past week, while ignoring other incidents of gun violence in Philadelphia. This gives a false impression of the scale and severity of the issue. Thirdly, when discussing stop-and-frisk measures as a potential solution to this problem, Commissioner Bethel says that it is not about 'stop and frisk', but rather what they are going to do as a city to address violence. This contradicts Parker's statement earlier in the article where he mentions implementing 'stop and frisk' measures. Lastly, the author uses emotional manipulation by quoting Watlington saying that innocent children walking home from school were impacted by gun violence, which creates a sense of tragedy and urgency.
Selective reporting of only three shootings involving SEPTA buses within the past week while ignoring other incidents of gun violence in Philadelphia
The phrase 'enough is enough' used to create a sense of urgency
'Stop and frisk' measures are not about stop and frisk, but rather what they are going to do as a city
Fallacies
(85%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Bias
(85%)
The article contains a clear example of ideological bias. The author uses the phrase 'enough is enough' to express their personal feelings and opinions about gun violence in Philadelphia rather than presenting objective facts or analysis.
. . . Eleven of the victims have been children, according to police.
SEPTA police plan to crackdown on crime following recent spate of violence
Charles Lawson, Chief of SEPTA Transit Police, said they will enforce laws concerning a wealth of violations seen on the system from fare evading to open drug use and illegal firearm possession.
Violence along SEPTA's bus system: 27-year-old Sawee Kofa was shot in the face at about 11:25 p.m. just moments after stepping off a bus near Van Kirk Street, Northeast Philadelphia; Dayemen Taylor was killed when gunfire erupted near a bus stop at Ogontz and Godfrey avenues in the city's Ogontz neighborhood; 37-year-old Carmelo Drayton was shot and killed while riding a bus in South Philadelphia.
SEPTA police will not be afraid to resort to more strict tactics to ensure safety of riders, SEPTA employees and others. They are going to abide by legal precedent but remain constitutional in their actions.
Most serious crimes are down across the system; deadly shootings overall are down across the city too. However, gun violence is an issue that refuses to go away as it's not seeing significant declines like other categories of crime.
Lawson will be moving officers around to deploy more to bus lines where they see need and hopes to hire 40 more before end of year; SEPTA police force has over 230 officers out throughout system. They are frustrated by crime but optimistic about their ability to address it with partnerships forged in city.
Act 40, a law that would see special prosecutor installed to handle crimes on SEPTA properties, could help officers handle crime across the system; Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner believes forensics is key to prevent crime and has confidence in his ability to prosecute these crimes.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several examples of appeals to authority and inflammatory rhetoric. The author also uses a dichotomous depiction by stating that the recent spate of violence is down across the system except for gun violence. Additionally, there are no formal fallacies found in this article.
Charles Lawson, Chief of SEPTA Transit Police, said Wednesday that they plan to enforce the laws concerning a wealth of violations they see on the system -- from fare evading, to open drug use to illegal firearm possession.
Bias
(85%)
The article is biased towards the SEPTA police's plan to crackdown on crime. The author uses language that dehumanizes and demonizes those who commit crimes on or involving SEPTA buses, such as referring to them as 'criminals'. Additionally, the author quotes Charles Lawson, Chief of SEPTA Transit Police, using his words verbatim without providing any context or analysis. This creates a one-sided view and reinforces the bias in favor of law enforcement's actions.
In discussing the recent incidents, Lawson noted that most serious crimes are down across the system.
Lawson said he will be moving officers around to deploy more to bus lines.
Officials said that they plan to enforce the laws concerning a wealth of violations they see on the system -- from fare evading, to open drug use to illegal firearm possession.
The most recent incidents began with an incident on Sunday night
The shooting is just the latest in an outbreak of gun violence in the city
Eleven of the victims have been children
One of the teenagers is listed in critical condition after being shot nine times.
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Deception
(30%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that eight students were shot at a SEPTA bus stop in Philadelphia on Wednesday afternoon. However, it's not clear if any of them died or sustained serious injuries. The article also states that two students are critical condition but doesn't provide further details about their conditions or how they were injured.
Multiple people opened fire as the students were attempting to board a bus, shooting over 30 rounds toward the students as they were attempting to board the bus.
The masked gunmen are still at large
Fallacies
(75%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Bias
(85%)
The article contains a few examples of bias. Firstly, the use of phrases such as 'masked gunmen' and 'multiple people opened fire' creates an image in the reader's mind that may be biased towards one side or another. Secondly, the phrase 'caught in crossfire' implies that there is some sort of moral ambiguity to what happened at the bus stop, when it was simply a shooting incident. Lastly, while not explicitly stated as such, there seems to be an underlying assumption that gun violence is inherently negative and should be stopped.
The incident marks the fourth day in a row that a SEPTA bus was involved in a shooting
At least five teens have been fatally shot on or near SEPTA's system over the last year
Northeast High School will switch to virtual classes this week after an 8-student shooting at one of its bus stops
Accuracy
Eleven of the victims have been children, according to police.
One of the teenagers is listed in critical condition after being shot nine times.
The people of this city will not be held hostage by gun violence.
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several examples of informal fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by citing statistics and quotes from city officials without providing any context or analysis. They also use inflammatory rhetoric when describing the shooting as a 'senseless act of violence' and 'immeasurable impact on young people'. Additionally, they make a false dilemma by stating that either gun control laws are enacted or nothing will be done to address the issue.
The victims appeared to be teens
Police said that eight shooting victims were taken to hospitals
At least seven people were wounded in a shooting Wednesday afternoon at a busy intersection in the Burholme section of Northeast Philadelphia, police said.
Bias
(85%)
The article contains multiple examples of bias. The author uses inflammatory language such as 'senseless act of violence' and 'immeasurable impact on the city'. They also use loaded words like 'gun violence', which is a highly charged topic that can be seen from different perspectives. Additionally, the author quotes sources who express anger over gun violence without providing any context or alternative viewpoints. The article also contains examples of religious bias as it mentions God and prayer in relation to the shooting victims.
At least five teens have been shot and killed on or near SEPTA property in the past year
Most recently, 17-year-old Dayemen Taylor and two of his classmates were struck by a flurry of bullets, fired as they stepped onto a bus to head home from school.
Police said that eight shooting victims were taken to hospitals, including four who were transported to Jefferson Torresdale Hospital and three transported to Jefferson Einstein Hospital. The eighth victim arrived by private vehicle to Temple University Hospital - Jeanes Campus.
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