I'll be very blunt here...probably way more so than Branson officials would like me to be...but I'm a former broadcast journalist and I don't like it when I see local media NOT doing their job and reporting all the stories that go on in their area that are important to cover. There have been many serious incidents in Branson over the years you have heard nothing about in the media...local business and civic officials want a lot of the stuff buried so people will not be afraid to visit. They want you to think Branson is crime free. It is not. As the population has grown, as visits to Branson have grown, crime has gone up. You'll notice in the top entry on this thread it mentions a string of motel robberies. I know for a fact there have been increases in purse snatchings, and other related crimes. Shoplifting, not a serious issue at SDC in my time, is a daily occurance...and people are escorted off park each day for attempted theft. In the '90's I subscribed to a Branson newspaper, and a tiny story was covered like this: Local police arrested an out of town man for assaulting a woman at a Branson motel located on Highway 76, the woman was treated and released from Skaggs Hospital...That was about it in
the story. If I would have turned a news story in for reading on the air like that, my boss would have gone nuts. That story should have the suspect's name, age, hometown, and list of charges brought against him. It should say what motel it happened at, and at what time and date. It would detail damage done at the location, The story would not have given the victim's name, but it would include her age and hometown. With that said, do I think Branson is still a pretty safe place to vacation...YES...I would not hesitate to take my family to vacation there. However, local civic, business, and media entities are wrong to cover up things that go on in their area that seem negative. Truth and an open "sunshine" policy are always the best way to go. Ignorance is not bliss. I should note, even way back in my day in Branson some 25 to 30 years ago, the media didn't always do it's job about stories like this. The local powers that be have always tried to quell coverage of those things. I should note, this also goes on in every other community across the country to this day. I covered news in dozens of communities in MO and AR over 20 years and there is always a handful of local hotshots that want to try to control what the media covers. ALL THIS SAID...TAKE YOUR FAMILY TO BRANSON AND ENJOY A NICE VACATION.
