I find it interesting what has been reported yesterday and today. The news has made a big deal on an issue that you probably have seen. It’s the beating of the 13 year old boy in Norfolk, Virginia.
First things first, I do not advocate the violence this case is about. There is no reason that 6 people should beat upon one person. I don’t understand why kids today feel the need for such kinds of fights, if they must fight at all. If it takes so many to beat on one person, either that person is a real badass (a la Bruce Lee) or the attackers are punks. My opinion, like it or not, group/mob attacks are mindless and cowardly.
But there is an issue here beyond the fight. Actually several. The major news media and I will use Fox News again as I watch them predominantly, jumped on this story Monday. That was the first I saw anything on this case. Today I have noted that there is further follow up. 6 minutes of coverage occurred at 2:54pm alone.
I’ve seen the video tape and an interview with the boy several times by the point of this post. The media is being very generous in providing the view (which the boy and family promote) that this was a racial attack.
Yet it seems that this is incorrect. But before I go there, here are the apparent facts. The boy, who is white, was going to a basketball game on Saturday with his friend (who happens to be Black it was reported). Somewhere along this route they ran into the 6 boys, who range from 13-17 as reported, who then ‘suddenly’ started beating the kid. Luckily there was a friend of the boy being attacked who stood there and videotaped the altercation. Portions of that videotape are what are seen on Fox News.
So, we have a portion of a fight, showing several kids fighting one kid. The attackers are Black. And the media is making a lot of noise on this. But why is the supposed friend of the kid taping this and not helping his friend? Is this another Youtube fight that went too far? The kid was beaten, but seems to walk away from the fight without serious harm, and seemed fine when interviewed Monday. I’m not excusing the actions, just investigating the facts as the news should have done.
Why would the 6 ‘suddenly’ do this? Was it racial? Well, today the police of Norfolk have stated, on air, that this was not racial. It seems there is something that the White teenager did previously that motivated the attack. So much for the racial claims major news media jump on at first. And the presumed innocence that they implied in the coverage. That doesn’t make it right, it just points out a bias.
Now I ask this, why was the major news media so quick to cover this story and totally ignore the Jena 6 situation? Both had a white kid being beaten by several Black kids. Both were allegedly over racial issues. Both were in the South. What is the difference? Think about that, what is the difference?
Continued in part 2...
2 comments:
It was stated at least 3 times on Fox news that the white boy was on the way to a football game and NOT a basketball game. Not really important I realize but still casts shadow on your fact reporting. Also can anyone show a link of the report that the "friend" of the white boy was the camara man? I have not read or seen any reports stating this yet it would not be surprising. Furthermore, this story is newsworthy not so much for the black/white issue in my opinion but to show the continuing trend of our teenage youth (of any color) becoming more aggresive and violent toward one another with little regard for human life. Do our young people know right from wrong? I'm sure that they do. They should also know that they will be held accountable for committing unlawful acts. We as adults should refrain from making assumptions and "what ifs" that a group beating was prevoked or deserved. Of course, it may turn out that your assumption of posting a fight video for youtube (or something just as idiodic)is the case but then again, that so far is not a fact. I am curious to know what your response would be if it were proven the fight was racially motivated. It almost sounds as if your mind is made up to the contrary.
First I want to thank you for taking the time to read my post and respond.
While I agree that it is not important, you are correct that the kids were on their way to play football and not basketball. I was incorrect on that. And it doesn’t make a bit of difference in what I was saying, nor what happened.
I will also thank you for your thought that I am reporting on this situation. I am not. But your comparison of my writing of my opinion to that of major news agencies is a compliment. Your statement that a single minor misstatement could affect my credibility in a manner similar to a misstatement on CNN or Fox News means I am making an impact, and for that I am grateful.
As for a link to the comment about the camera man, I suggest you contact the Norfolk police as it was their representative that made the statement on the live television news broadcast. You can also contact Fox News for a written copy of the transcript, or just to verify that this was said. As stated in the post, you have the time and channel on which the comments occurred.
As for whether I made an assumption or a “what if” scenario about the motivation of the assault, I again refer back to what I wrote. It was a statement by the Norfolk police that this was not a race motivated crime, and that there was a prior event involved. Though they have not said what the reason was, it is a matter that is still being further investigated. If you doubt that, you can contact the Norfolk police and debate their statement about this.
I never assumed anything about this case. I posed a potential reason for the attack, based on the comments of the Norfolk police. That is not an assumption. It was not taken for granted that this was the motivation. It was merely a speculation.
As for what I would say if it were to be found that this was racially motivated, I wouldn’t care. The post I wrote was not about racial motivation in this case. It was about the comparison of media coverage on similar cases.
Your focus has been towards finding flaws and fault in my comments. I am not a media organization like the NY Times or CNN. I have limited resources and time. But I try to ensure that I give as accurate and complete an argument as is possible. I am not giving the facts, other than to bolster the opinion that I am expressing.
Given that, I suggest you re-read what I had written. I am addressing media bias not racial attacks. As such it does not matter where the event took place, or who were the people involved, or how they acted. It is the reaction of the media on this case that is important.
Why did the major news media take months to cover the Jena 6 case, which bloggers have known about and discussed for some time? Why have the media not spent time discussing the vile aggressors that attacked Ms. Megan Williams? Why was the Virginia case worthy of 5x the media coverage of the West Virginia case? Why was the major news media willing to presume the child was completely innocent, and in other similar cases not do the same of Black victims? Where is the objective reporting that would provide the answers to why this happened, how, where, when, and what are the background factors involved. That is reporting, or what reporting used to be.
I am a commentator, but I try to do my due diligence. I try to be as factual as possible. And I make great effort to focus my posts to a point. You seem to have missed that point. I suggest you re-read this post and comment if you feel there are further errors or other points you wish to make. I always enjoy any comment, but even moreso if it is actually relevant to the subject I am discussing.
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