News coverage of the Michael Brown shooting: headlines matter

[sheshe2]

Allan Brauer August 11, 2014

The killing by police of Michael Brown, a teen in the St. Louis area, is burning up social media and starting to get mainstream media coverage. This is an important developing story raising questions about police conduct, and investigations are underway. But some media outlets have already used this gruesome crime scene to paint another picture, which plays to the prejudices they assume in their readers, and just happens to coincide with how police want the incident to be framed.

In the hours that followed Brown's shooting, his body reportedly was left lying in the street for up to 4 hours. Photos from the scene show a substantial flow of blood running down the street from his corpse. (They can be found online, but out of respect for the victim and his family we won't post them here.) Brown's relatives began to gather at the scene, distraught at the sight of their loved one bleeding out on the street. Police were keeping the angry citizens at bay while evidence was being gathered. People in the crowd were furious. Some shouted obscenities. Others vented their anger directly at the police on the scene, including some shouts of "Kill the police!" The police called in forces from around the region, and a highly militarized response, including armored vehicles and officers with dogs, reported to the site, creating disturbing echoes of photos from the 1960s civil rights movement.

Over the course of the evening, people at the scene organized a vigil for Brown, then marched to police headquarters to demand justice. All reports about this part of the events confirm that they chanted strong, but non-violent, messages, such as "No justice, no peace," and "Hey hey, ho ho, killer cops have got to go."



The news media has an obligation to the public to approach all stories with as much objectivity as possible, and to emphasize the most important known facts about a situation in their reporting. Some outlets did a generally good job of covering the day's events. Others failed their readers.

Read More: http://www.thepeoplesview.net/main/2014/8/10/news-coverage-of-the-michael-brown-shooting-headlines-matter#.U-kwHPbK3aI.twitter

Read more to find out the difference in reporting, AP vs The St.Louis Post-Dispatch.

[malaise]

1. K & R

It's open season on African-Americans. There's no respect in life let alone after being slaughtered in the street.

[sheshe2]

2. Sadly you are correct, malaise. eom

[napkinz]

3. if there is a WAR ON WHITES, how is it that so many blacks are dying!

Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Renisha McBride, and so many more


edit: I'm tired of this Post-racial America, War On Whites, Persecution Of White Males bull****

[sheshe2]

4. That's it...

Exactly, napkinz.

[napkinz]

5. there IS a war on women, a war on minorities, a war on gays and lesbians

But a

War On Whites?

War On Males?

War On Christians?

It's ridiculous. (It's more than ridiculous but I can't find the right word at this moment.)

[sheshe2]

6. Again, you are correct.

Department of Justice
Office of Public Affairs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMonday, August 11, 2014
Statement by Attorney General Holder on Recent Shooting Incident in Ferguson, Missouri
Attorney General Eric Holder released the following statement Monday regarding the shooting incident that took place Saturday afternoon in Ferguson, Missouri:

“The shooting incident in Ferguson, Missouri this weekend deserves a fulsome review. In addition to the local investigation already underway, FBI agents from the St. Louis field office, working together with attorneys from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and US Attorney's Office, have opened a concurrent, federal inquiry. The federal investigation will supplement, rather than supplant, the inquiry by local authorities. At every step, we will work with the local investigators, who should be prepared to complete a thorough, fair investigation in their own right. I will continue to receive regular updates on this matter in the coming days. Aggressively pursuing investigations such as this is critical for preserving trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve.”

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2014/August/14-ag-844.html

[1StrongBlackMan]

7. Collateral damage? eom.

[Rex]

8. So why is it that this kind of force was not brought upon the Bundy Ranch?

I mean, I heard why...but someone breaking the law vs. a kid walking down the street. Why does one get this;

'The police called in forces from around the region, and a highly militarized response, including armored vehicles and officers with dogs, reported to the site, creating disturbing echoes of photos from the 1960s civil rights movement.'

And the other get this;

'By Sunday, April 6, one of Bundy's sons, Dave Bundy, was taken into custody for refusing to disperse and resisting arrest, while hundreds of other protesters, some venturing from interstate, gathered along the road few miles from Bundy's property in solidarity. Dave Bundy was later released.'

OH YOU KNOW WHY.

Sometimes I wonder about this country.