Violent Crime in Knoxville Ignored by Media, Bloggers Claim

[RamboLiberal]

Source: Editor & Publisher/AP

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. In a powerful demonstration of the way the Internet has opened up the mainstream media to intensive second-guessing, bloggers are charging that news outlets have ignored the rape and murder of a young Knoxville couple because of the racial implications of the story.

The two victims were white; the five defendants are black.

The critics include mainstream conservatives, such as the National Review, and white supremacists. They have drawn comparisons to the Duke lacrosse rape case and wondered why the killings of Channon Christian, a 21-year-old University of Tennessee student, and her 23-year-old boyfriend Christopher Newsom are not getting the same attention from what the bloggers regard sneeringly as the liberal media.

``Oh, that's right, the victims were WHITE!'' several conservative blogs have observed.

Or as National Review columnist Jack Dunphy commented online: ``Uh oh, we're not supposed to talk about such things, are we.''


Read more: http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003587643

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Warning - first off if you are sensitive you may not want to read about this crime - it is horrific.

IMHO the media with their stupid obsessions with a few stories that should have never gone national but stayed local, i.e. the Laci Peterson, Natalie Holloway, and especially the Duke Lacrosse case, have opened themselves up to these kind of charges by the RW and white supremecists when a case like this one occurs. Do I think the media is ignoring because the suspects are black - probably not - though their might be some thought that this kind of case could certainly inflame those of the racist bent.

I think perhaps this case is just not in a sexy location, the victims were not missing that long, the parents didn't go to the national media early in the case, or maybe it is just too horrific for even Nancy Grace and Greta Van Sustern.

Be interested in what rest of DU thinks. BTW, Michelle Malkin is one of those all over this case.

http://michellemalkin.com/archives/007557.htm

[orpupilofnature57]

1. MSM is no longer a vehicle for information ,we have blended Drama

in News for appeal and information has become a Burden.

[ohio2007]

13. Dinosaur media to go extinct after they eat their own in financial takeovers

advertisers "pay" for certain news stories".

they will boycott their funding of institutions if the stories are not "up to standards"

LOL

[xchrom]

2. the only thing interesting to me about this story -- is the racist blogs.

crime is horrific no matter -- that they create a story about victimization and race goes to show that the right has a bottomless well of hate, insecurity, and fear to draw from.

give them blogs and they are self sustaining.

[Wcross]

3. It was a HORRIFIC crime.

I am amazed I heard so much about a stripper in North Carolina claiming a rape and nothing at all about this case.

[kurth]

10. I agree a conviction and hanging is in order

Worthless animals.

[Wcross]

11. You agree with WHAT?

It was a horrific crime. I have not seen this in the news even though Tennessee is home. I have not advocated a conviction nor execution. If the suspects are found guilty I would like to see severe punishment. You have to send a message that rape, torture, dismemberment & murder is not cool.

[brentspeak]

4. Victims and defendants

The victims, Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom.:



The defendants:

[slackmaster]

5. The media should steer clear of it so the justice system can do its job

It wouldn't do any good to sensationalize the story. It would only make it harder to find untainted jurors.

[Auggie]

6. Felony Crime in Washington Ignored by Media, Bloggers Claim

We say it everyday here. MSM dosen't care unless ratings are involved.

[brentspeak]

8. Some scenes regarding felony crime in D.C. we might see in the future:

[KingFlorez]

7. There are lots of stories that go unreported

And the victims are of all races. It all depends on what the media thinks is a good story, it's never about the people.

[wellst0nev0ter]

9. And There's The Case Of Six Black Boys Being Raped By Their White Teachers

How come the racist media isn't reporting this??!!!

:sarcasm: :eyes:

[ohio2007]

14. Wrong gender. Women are victems and the boys are victems of society

nt

[treestar]

20. In SC, that never happens

Must be those boys making it up. :sarcasm:

[NorthernSpy]

12. what about the abduction, rape, and murder of a six-year-old black child by three whites in GA?

It happened in March in southern Georgia.

The Chistopher Barrios story isn't getting the JonBenet treatment, either. Mostly regional news stories, and here and there an analysis of how the sex predator laws fail us.

Why don't the white supremacist/conservative blogs have much to say about the Edenfield case? Simple: it's the kind of potentially racially inflammatory story that THEY like to put the hush on.

[Robson]

15. Now this is a HATE Crime, but was it treated that way?

All crime is hate in my view. But this crime rises above it all. When I first heard this I thought it was an internet spoof. But sadly it wasn't and it makes my blood boil, as it would if the races were reversed. But why wasn't it mentioned on major media so that we Americans are aware that such low life animals do exist?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channon_Christian_and_Christopher_Newsom_murder

[NorthernSpy]

16. was the rape and murder of Christopher Barrios by three whites a HATE crime?

Why do you think that the Christopher Barrios case hasn't gotten the kind of obsessive media attention that we saw with Laci Petersen, Natalie Holloway, JonBenet Ramsey, inter alia?

[Robson]

17. I disagreed with that media obsession

My own view is that none of these crimes deserved the extended hype and media obsession that they received because there were others that failed to receive any air time as a result.

The public can and does help solve crimes when they are given information. But when the media turns it into a circus and voyeuristic hype then it only chews up air time and does no good.

Crimes should be reported and the public should be kept informed, and outrageous crimes should receive a degree of national attention, if for nothing more than to make us aware of the scum that may exist among us.

[NorthernSpy]

18. that's not what I asked you

I asked you whether the rape and murder of Christopher Barrios by three whites was also a HATE crime.

And I asked why the mainstream media haven't tried to make more hay out of the Christopher Barrios slaying.

[LisaL]

21. There are many crimes that don't get national media attention.

And I am not sure what national attention would accomplish in both the Barrios and the Knoxville case.
Laci Peterson's dissapearance was unsolved for a long time.
JonBenet Ramsey's murder is still not solved.
Natalie Holloway's dissapearance is not solved.
So, at least in those cases media attention presumably could help solving the crime, although in JonBenet's and Natalie's case it clearly did not help.
But when police have supsects, no matter how horrible the crime is, media might not be so interested.

[LisaL]

22. In my city, a black man recently got convicted for the murder

of white child. I bet most have not heard anything at all about that one. For national media to become interested, it usually likes for the crime to occur in some exotic location, or involving someone famous, or someone particularly good looking. Of course there are exceptions. But normally many horrible crimes do not attract national media attention, and maybe it's for the best, especially if police apprehends the suspects.

[treestar]

19. I have debated right wingers on this a lot

The thing about right wingers and the media is that they simply refuse to believe it, blasting it as liberal bias, if it tells a story they don't want told, but where it tells a story they do want told, they come up with an excuse for why the liberal media reported it.

They set it up so you can't win on the subject, due to their complete double standard.

This is the sort of thing they always complain about. Another subject is the gun subject - when I ask them why there are no media stories about someone with a gun preventing a massacre, they invariably claim these stories exist and the liberal media is so crafty that it manages to suppress them.

This crime too could have really happened, then again, it may be rare, but the right will claim such crimes happen constantly and that the librul media just won't report it. So the first order of business here could be to make sure this really happened. It could be them exaggerating.

[Blue_Tires]

23. piss on the white supremacists, Malkin, National Review, etc...

like they just LOVED big media before this became a story?? Can someone please explain to these assclowns the difference between a local, regional, and sports-related story, and how they are all covered differently??

What? white victims never get national ink? Were these people on vacation during stuff like the Central Park Jogger, Nicole Brown and hundreds of others? I've seen selective outrage from both the left and right, but this is laughably over the top...

[NoGOPZone]

24. Snopes has a page on this

And they give a good explanation on why the media gives more notice to some cases than others.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/crime/newsom.asp

[shenmue]

25. Flamebait, again

All violent crime is horrible.

It's interesting to see some of you think that nobody cares if the victims are a certain race or gender.

Well, bullshit.

All of the crimes are far more important than doing something easy, like bitching about the media again. Malkin is a dumb-ass, but people ought to care about men and women, young and old, pretty couple or little babies, etc. etc. Knock it off with your personal chips on your sholuder.