"Asian" Gang Stabs Man in Yorkshire

I often complain that certain types of crime don't consistently make the national media.

This is something quite different; the Daily Telegraph have run an article on the incident in Upperthorpe - but completely trivialised it with the headline.

Here's the story:

A man has been stabbed in the neck after asking a group of teenagers to stop throwing snowballs.

South Yorkshire Police said the 19-year-old victim challenged a group of youths for throwing snowballs ''aggressively'' at people in the street and at passing cars.

A police spokesman said: ''A 19-year-old man was kicked, punched and stabbed in the neck with a sharp object, possibly a broken bottle, by a group of teenagers, after he attempted to stop them throwing snowballs aggressively at people in the street and passing cars.

''The group also assaulted his 19-year-old friend, who sustained a cut to his forehead and bruising to his face.''

Police said the second victim required stitches to his forehead and was allowed home the same day.

The group, of about 15 males, are described as Asian and mixed race, aged between 15 and 20.

So, we have an incident in which a gang of around 15 males violently attack two other males for trying to prevent them attacking and intimidating various members of the public.

In response, the gang stab one man in the neck after beating him up, and beat up his friend so badly he is left in need of stitches.

What headline does the Telegraph choose for this story?

"Snowball fight ends in stabbing."

A snowball fight implies that the people involved are taking part by choice; what we have here is actually a gang of thugs hurling snowballs at random targets, presumably to intimidate people or assert their dominance.

It's very dangerous to throw snowballs at moving vehicles, particularly if the driver is not expecting it - and yet the Telegraph almost implies that this is merely youthful high-spirits.

The two men who were attacked could easily have died or been far more seriously injured.

I think that, if this is the quality of the reporting, perhaps the media should simply stick to ignoring such incidents, as they have for the last fifteen years or so.