📹 Have police body cams been effective?

It’s Friday, December 15 — people are talking about the effectiveness of police body cams, the casting decision of Denzel Washington as Hannibal, and more.

As always, we’ve summarized and organized the different shades of perspective, so you can see the big picture quickly. Here at Shades we believe that seeing multiple points of view is the best way to stay informed.

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📹 Have police body cams been effective?

Body cams were meant to increase accountability, but critics say they've fallen short. Some see them as a step forward, others as surveillance tools.

📹 NYT: Police body cams, initially seen as tools for accountability and transparency, have fallen short. The case of Miguel Richards highlights systemic issues with police control over footage.

📹 Wired agrees: Body cams fail to stop police brutality, due to misuse and lack of transparency — damning footage is rarely released.

📹 A Reddit thread on r/ChangeMyView disagrees: There's no legitimate argument against mandatory cams. They're one of the few ways for the public to hold police accountable.

📹 And ProCon.org says police body cams balance transparency with privacy and cost concerns. They're crucial in preventing police abuse.

📹 But Canadian Lawyer thinks that body cams actually make things worse. They're used for surveillance rather than accountability.

🎬 Is Denzel a bad choice for Hannibal?

Denzel Washington is playing ancient general Hannibal in a new Netflix film. Some argue it's a racially inaccurate choice, but others are excited about the role.

🎬 Netflix cast Denzel Washington to portray Hannibal, the ancient Carthaginian general, in an upcoming film. Variety says critics in Tunisia view the casting decision as a historical misstep.

🎬 Hot Air understands the backlash: The casting of Denzel (a Black man) as Hannibal (of Phoenician descent) is ridiculous. Netflix is too diversity-obsessed.

🎬 And Bloomberg agreed: Denzel as Hannibal is a mistake. The choice makes the story feel inauthentic.

🎬 @dancham03014042 was on board, though: Denzel is one of the greatest actors of all time, after all.

🎬 Love it or hate it, a Redditor on r/AncientRome thinks the casting choice probably won't be the only historical inaccuracy that plagues Netflix's film.

Quick hits

🇭🇺 Hungary blocked €50b ($55b) in aid for Ukraine. This comes shortly after the EU opened membership talks with Ukraine. (BBC)

🇧🇷 Next year, the NFL will host a regular-season game in São Paulo, Brazil. The participating teams will be announced in early 2024. (NFL.com)

🏈 The Raiders beat the Chargers with a franchise-record 63 points. They were up 42-0 at halftime, the second largest halftime lead in NFL history. (CBS Sports)

⛈️ Florida was placed on a severe weather watch by the Storm Prediction Center for Saturday through Sunday morning. (WINK News)