State senator suggests shutting down ‘the media’ for a month

In the midst of a national uproar on race relations and police-community interactions, state Sen. Katrina Shealy, R-Lexington, took to social media on Friday to point her finger at “the media.”

“I bet we would see a change” if “we could shut down all media for one month except for weather reports,” the Lexington Republican wrote in a Facebook post titled “America’s Biggest Problem.”

Shealy said “race” and law enforcement are not the country’s biggest challenges, but that it “could very possibly (most likely) be the Media!!!”

She added: “The media sensationalizes everything that happens stirring the pot, fueling an already blazing fire.”

The post came at the end of a week marked by fatal police officer-involved shootings in Louisiana and Minnesota, and a gunman’s attack Thursday night in Dallas that left five officers dead and seven more wounded.

Shealy’s comments caught flak from reporters and other First Amendment advocates online.

“Bless your heart,” she responded to some on Twitter.

Reached by phone Friday, Shealy said the comment was “tongue-in-cheek” – aimed at asking, “If people couldn’t see violence for a period of time, would it make a difference?”

“I don’t know what the answer is. What do you do? We’ve gotten to a point where that’s all you see, and the more you see of it, the worse it gets. What’s going to happen tonight?”

After the fallout, Shealy said she’s going to stop posting similar thoughts on Facebook.

“I’m just going to post more pictures of my grand kids.”

Shealy also called for media, law enforcement and other stakeholders sit down at the table and have a serious discussion about why the tragic shootings are happening with such frequency.

“How do you make it better without making it worse? Not that we need to get rid of the media – I love y’all,” she said, adding, “Send them some hugs and kisses for me.”