The Curious Case of Jazmine Barnes

[Curious George]

Jazmine Barnes, a 7 year old, was tragically killed in a shooting recently.

This shooting received markedly more coverage than average innocents shot in a drive-by. One possible reason for this was thw alleged suspect. Witnesses suggested a white male 30-40s had killed this child. Some News outlets tossed around suggestions of an intentional hate based crime.

The man hunt did not last too long. Two suspects are both in custody and it seems like the witnesses were mistaken about the perpetrators' identity.

My question, did the increased coverage lead to an arrest when so many violent offenders do not see justice because there crimes are less newsworthy? What role did race play in this story? Is implicit racial bias a factor in the misidentification of the shooter/s?

 

[columbus]

The man hunt did not last too long. Two suspects are both in custody and it seems like the witnesses were mistaken about the perpetrators' identity.

Identity?
This sounds like the report I just heard on NPR.
I may very well be wrong.

It was described as a hate crime while the perp was described as white. When it turned out that the perp was probably black, it stopped being news. Possibly because black people committing murder isn't news.

Maybe this is a completely different event.
Tom

 

[Curious George]

Identity?
This sounds like the report I just heard on NPR.
I may very well be wrong.

No, it is not a report I just heard on NPR, but I am glad I sound so professional to you. Care to take a crack at the questions or were you just bothered by my word choice?

It was described as a hate crime while the perp was described as white. When it turned out that the perp was probably black, it stopped being news. Possibly because black people committing murder isn't news.

Maybe this is a completely different event.
Tom

Well I happen to disagree. I think it is worthy of discussion now.

 

[esmith]

Kind of reminds me about the value of "eye witnesses".
A group of people were in a classroom and a person walks into the room and does something violent and leaves. The class was then directed to write a description on what the person looked like.
No one came anywhere close to describing the person.

 

[columbus]

Care to take a crack at the questions or were you just bothered by my word choice?

How could anyone possibly take a crack at questions you ask, with no more information than provided in the OP?

My question, did the increased coverage lead to an arrest when so many violent offenders do not see justice because there crimes are less newsworthy? What role did race play in this story? Is implicit racial bias a factor in the misidentification of the shooter/s?

What does anything about race have to do with anything in your post?
Tom

 

[Stanyon]

Don't know for sure but I imagine drugs and or gang activity was involved in some way, it typically is in these types of things.

 

[Curious George]

How could anyone possibly take a crack at questions you ask, with no more information than provided in the OP?

Well they might have to think outside of the OP. This is not a pop quiz on material you have been given.

What does anything about race have to do with anything in your post?
Tom

Well, race could affect news coverage; race could affect social perception; race can affect motivation.

Your question doesn't make much sense to me when you earlier stated: "Possibly because black people committing murder isn't news."

 

[columbus]

Well they might have to think outside of the OP.

Why did you make this into a race issue?
Tom

 

[Curious George]

Don't know for sure but I imagine drugs and or gang activity was involved in some way, it typically is in these types of things.

I agree that there are usually other circumstances involved. We do not often hear of people intentionally killing 7 year olds. If you want to discuss gangs and drugs I am okay with that, but you don't have any opinions on the questions I posed?

 

[Revoltingest]

Well they might have to think outside of the OP. This is not a pop quiz on material you have been given.

Well, race could affect news coverage; race could affect social perception; race can affect motivation.

Your question doesn't make much sense to me when you earlier stated: "Possibly because black people committing murder isn't news."

In the news....
One thing I notice is a tendency to divulge race
when the victim is black, & the perp white.
Otherwise, race tends to go unmentioned.

 

[Curious George]

Why did you make this into a race issue?
Tom

I asked what role race plays in this event. I am not certain that is "making it into a race issue."

The issue is that a seven year old girl died. There are related issues to that. I am exploring one. Do you think it is bad to ask how race relates to an issue?

 

[Curious George]

In the news....
One thing I notice is a tendency to divulge race
when the victim is black, & the perp white.
Otherwise, race tends to go unmentioned.

I am under the impression that historically this was reversed. Do you think it is possible that media in general tries to capitalize on interracial crime currently? Or do you think that this only goes one way, as your post seems to indicate? If so, when did this change?

 

[Revoltingest]

I am under the impression that historically this was reversed. Do you think it is possible that media in general tries to capitalize on interracial crime currently? Or do you think that this only goes one way, as your post seems to indicate? If so, when did this change?

Aye, I too perceive a swing of the pendulum.
Perhaps it occured thru the 50s thru 70s as
news media agendas changed from demonizing
black folk to seeing them as victims, eh.

 

[Subduction Zone]

I am a bit disturbed by this. Not only was the accusation that it was a white male, but from the police artist's sketch it appeared to be a very specific white person. How could they be so "accurately" wrong in what they witnessed? I know that it was a traumatic time for the family, but it just goes to show how unreliable eyewitness evidence can be.

 

[Augustus]

Do you think it is possible that media in general tries to capitalize on interracial crime currently? Or do you think that this only goes one way, as your post seems to indicate?

A racist killing of a 7 year old is more newsworthy than the killing of a 7 year old as it combines 2 different news values. The same as a terrorist stabbing is more newsworthy than a stabbing in a fight.

 

[Revoltingest]

A racist killing of a 7 year old is more newsworthy than the killing of a 7 year old as it combines 2 different news values. The same as a terrorist stabbing is more newsworthy than a stabbing in a fight.

This explains people's propensity to label all mass killings as "terrorism".

 

[Curious George]

Aye, I too perceive a swing of the pendulum.
Perhaps it occured thru the 50s thru 70s as
news media agendas changed from demonizing
black folk to seeing them as victims, eh.

I personally do not see a swing one way. I haven't researched the topic at all, but I imagine that news companies profit from peddling race fears in general. I do not think this is limited to white males as the perpetrators. Research on race in news should be done, though.

 

[Curious George]

A racist killing of a 7 year old is more newsworthy than the killing of a 7 year old as it combines 2 different news values. The same as a terrorist stabbing is more newsworthy than a stabbing in a fight.

And indeed I am asking people to be critical of that.

 

[Revoltingest]

I personally do not see a swing one way. I haven't researched the topic at all, but I imagine that news companies profit from peddling race fears in general. I do not think this is limited to white males as the perpetrators. Research on race in news should be done, though.

Research?
We don't do that!

 

[Curious George]

Research?
We don't do that!

Not us, someone else of course. We are just the think tank that set the ball into motion.