This is one of the arguments of the book.
One scholar calls the phenomena of focusing on black street crime the "criminalblackman."
Now we have a local example of it, even in the High Country, which is something like 95% white.
Yes, I understand that murder is bad. Triple murder is worse. And this is news.
But these stories still create misconceptions about what type of crime is most likely to kill you.
UPDATE: Three Now Dead; Suspect ID'dA third victim has died, and a suspect is now identified in the now triple homicide from Catawba County this morning. Warrants have been issued and a bulletin aired by lawmen seeking Everette Porshau Hewitt, 32, for three counts of murder. Full Story
I feel as though any violent crime that an African American male commits, is going to make the news. It blows my mind that 12% of the population makes up half of all crime. Although the media want to point to race as the main reason for crime, it really is poverty. Poorer people tend to commit more crime, but many minorities are impoverished, hence why the media relates crime with race.
ReplyDeleteWhy is this in the news? One reason is that it is local news. I live in the neighboring county and I work and go to school in Catawba County. I have passed the area of the shooting many times. Another reason is that the crime is rare and very violent. Violence sells and in turn brings profits to the media. In addition, the media is mostly focused on the acts of minorities, especially blacks. Violence with racial ties provides even more profits.
ReplyDeleteThis story does leave me with some questions. Why is he charged with three counts of murder and not with four counts of murder when he shot and killed four people? Why was he at the trailer earlier before he shot these people? Was it a drug deal gone bad? Where is all the context? Looks like the media is going to get more profits with more interests for information to this story. Eventually, the crime will be repeated over and over with the new information causing the likelihood of an increased fear of crime.
The media report on this case for a number of reasons. For one, because the suspect is an African American male. In Chapter four, it states that the media will generally focus on racial minorities like blacks. And usually the media cover cases involving minorities in a negative way. Secondly, the crime was violent in nature. There were four victims involved in the story. The suspect Hewitt is accused of killing two women and two men. Hewitt shot two women and a man at the Oak Knoll Mobile Home Park Trailor and then robbed and shot a fourth person. I'm wondering when Hewitt will be charged with the fourth count of murder. Thirdly, this story is relevant to people who live in the area of Catawba County. When a tragic event like this occurs in your area, then the people really connect with the story. Sometimes, it makes people think that they could have been the victims. Essentially, the media creates fear in the public. The public also may become more fearful of African American males because of the way they are portrayed in the media.
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