Vicious Circle

One of the headlines across the country today was that the death of a man in Limerick is now a formal murder investigation.The man, believed to have been in his late 50's or early 60s was found at a flat in Wickham Street. The cause of death is thought to have been a number of stab wounds to the upper body.
I think the reason this particular headline struck a chord with me is because I have been working on a fictional news story detailing the murder of a woman for a news writing and reporting module. Both myself and my fellow journalism colleagues have been learning how to compile a news story. However a story is one thing and reality is another. Hearing that another murder has been committed in our country is something we have become accustomed to unfortunately. Violence is commonplace and it has escalated out of control if one was to analyse the situation. Comparing the Ireland of today to the country that existed twenty years ago, crime rates have soared.
Listening to the news headlines as a member of the public is considerably different from listening as a journalist. Headlines come and go and are replaced by fresher edgier stories all the time! Perhaps because we have been paying close attention to the structure of news writing and the language used this headline played on my mind. Alternatively it may be because I am realising how crimes such as these are not make- believe and are happening daily on our doorsteps. This is a chilling thought and not something that anyone wants to dwell on! Like it or not it is true and something must be done to change this vicious circle.