Flammable News Coverage

"It's mind-boggling that a community and a state that had so mishandled this case from the very beginning continued to mishandle it at the very end," Scarborough said.

Others zeroed in on the police, who are going to get criticized no matter what they do. During the summer, the criticism we heard most often was that they were too heavy-handed in trying to quell the unrest that erupted in the days after Brown was shot. Now, the criticism is that police didn't do enough to stop the looting and violence.

That is what worried Amy Goodman, a liberal author and radio host who asked Rev. Al Sharpton if he thought police deliberately allowed the city to be destroyed.

"Last night, as we covered the protests in front of the Ferguson police station, it was packed with riot police, state troopers were there, all the advanced weaponry was there," she said. "When we went over to West Florissant [Avenue] and expected to be stopped there by the police as we were at the protests months ago, it was wide open. We saw no state troopers and we hardly saw police. Do you think the authorities let Ferguson burn?"

Sharpton said the answer should be obvious, and so he didn't bother answering the question. No matter. Goodman had answered her own question, and made up her mind.

Conservative journalists have already offered two specific criticisms of the media coverage: that it was blatantly anti-prosecutor and anti-police, and that it so sensationalized the violence and unrest that it might have encouraged more of it. Anyone who has watched the news in the last several days knows that both critiques are valid.

But the media's greatest failure in covering the unrest in Ferguson was failing to hold the rioters accountable for their actions and showing viewers that misbehavior has consequences. For instance, instead of glorifying those doing harm, why not profile those business owners who were harmed? Why not show rioters getting arrested and hauled off in handcuffs?

If that happened, who knows? I might just come around to the idea that it is safe to let my children watch the news again.

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Ruben Navarrette's email address is ruben@rubennavarrette.com.