While I do not like encryption, the media is using the whole encryption movement as a convenient cover story for their laziness and lack of actual boots on the ground reporting. It is one of the worst trends of the decade where reporters rely more and more on reporting remotely by sitting on social media. Just look for the screenshots of posts and videos from bystanders that were shared publicly.
The Five Points standoff is a perfect example of them covering their ass for writing this incident off as being another boring old shooting in Denver. The encryption did not help, but is that really a valid excuse for why they did not bother to follow-up on any of the tips from concerned residents of a SWAT team on scene for
several hours? Not one reporter could be bothered to make the 8 minute trek to ask actual people on scene about what was going on and reporting on it? It is quite clear from other outlets that folks did ask about and even discussed the incident publicly, but it was not an interesting enough story until their reputation got put on the line once they got called out on their laziness. Any one of them could have sent a reporter by electric scooter and still have gotten a timely report.
Evacuations. Road closures. A long standoff. A SWAT team.
www.westword.com
When the media behaves badly, they are blameless and fall back to their convenient excuses like encryption in this case. It is not hard to see why the general public is apathetic towards the media's calls for transparency when the media simply will not put forth the effort to do their jobs.