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Virginia Pilot: Journalism or Tabloid Dribble?

November 21^st, 2007

muse@bikerenews.com

OK, I have been missing for a while. I got reasons (not good ones), but that is a topic for another article. What has awakened me enough to pump out an article is a headline I saw in Monday's Virginia Pilot, "METH RING SUSPECTS HAVE TIES TO BIKER CLUBS."

Let me say up front that dealing drugs is wrong and anything law enforcement can do to find and prosecute drugs dealers, I applaud. Secondly, there are certainly motorcycle clubs who are proud of and have earned their "outlaw" reputation. With that being said, let me launch into a rant.

The use of the phrase "biker clubs", it a very broad brush to convey an idea that was born from isolated events in the 1950's and 60's and dramatized by Hollywood's commercial movie industry. It is beyond me how anyone familiar with today's motorcycle community would try to drudge up these old stereotypes to spice up a real news story. I can only assume that it was done purposely to sell newspapers, or that the author has a complete lack of understanding (or doesn't care to learn) about the BIKER community.

I was also concerned with what I saw as a lack of a balanced approach to reporting on local BIKER clubs. On Sunday, November 18, along with approximately 400 other BIKERS, I participated in a fantastic motorcycle event to support the Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters. This wonderful event was organized, sponsored, and executed by the Blue Knights MC Virginia Chapter V, a BIKER Club whose members are drawn from the law enforcement community across the Southside of Hampton Roads. Where was the Pilot's coverage of this event?

This last year, I had the honor of serving as the Secretary of the Tidewater Albemarle Motorcycle Association (TAMA). The primary purpose of this association is to organize a ride calendar that helps the participating Clubs, Groups, and Associations from conflicting with each other's ride events. At the last meeting of this year, there were 24 participating BIKER organizations. Conducting a quick survey of the attending representatives, we were able to determine that TAMA's participants have collected over $250,000 for local charities.

While I do not have any visibility into how much money other clubs and associations, not associated with TAMA, have collected, I know by looking at the number of events listed on the Biker eNews calendar that a lot of BIKER are working to make Hampton Roads a better place.

If you do not believe me, go ask CHKD, St. Mary's, Sentara Burn Unit, VA Burn Camp, St. Jude's, Special Olympics, Boy's Home, Kidney Foundation, March of Dimes, Lake Taylor Hospital, and a variety of Veteran charities throughout Tidewater. Ask these folks if they are afraid of BIKER Clubs. Ask these folks if they believe in stereotypes created a half century ago. Ask the approximately 150,000 registered motorcycle riders in Virginia, if they are willing to buy into a BIKER tabloid article?

BIKER are big, small, skinny, fat, white, black, brown, and yellow. BIKER aren't better than other people, and unfortunately some may be worst. However, I am glad to shake a BIKER'S hand, and to thank them for making my community a better place to live. Of course, I am just a writer for BIKER eNews.

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