The shooting of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old African American, in the gated community of Sanford, Florida has caused a national media storm of coverage and editorials. Most prominent newspapers, in addition to broadcast news and cable news channels, have featured coverage of the shooting.
Mallory Jean Tenore notes that journalists need to call this a "killling" or "shooting" for the time being, not a "murder." The AP Stylebook dictates that unless there has been a criminial conviction, the only time it is acceptable to write "murder" is if there was a clear-cut pre-meditated motive for the shooting.
There have been reports of George Zimmerman, the community watchman who fatally shot Martin, having a racial bias and calling police 46 times since the beginning of 2011, often to report "suspicious activity" by African-Americans. There have also been reports that Martin punched Zimmerman to the ground and attacked him, leading Zimmerman to shoot in self-defense.
An article by Eugen Kane in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about how wearing a hoodie should not define a person was very interesting. I was suprised by Geraldo Rivera's contention that if Martin had not been wearing a hoodie, he would still be alive. I wear my Chicago Cubs hoodie for six months out of the year, and anyone can tell you that does not make me look threatening. Nor should people assume that African-Americans or Hispanics are a threat just because they are wearing a hoodie.
I think that the Trayvon Martin story is a good reminder for journalists to be careful with what language they use in their articles, because there bias might be revealed if they do not. It is important for journalists to come across to their audiences as unbiased sources for information, or else lose respect or credibiliy from readers who disagree with their stance.
Mallory Jean Tenore notes that journalists need to call this a "killling" or "shooting" for the time being, not a "murder." The AP Stylebook dictates that unless there has been a criminial conviction, the only time it is acceptable to write "murder" is if there was a clear-cut pre-meditated motive for the shooting.
There have been reports of George Zimmerman, the community watchman who fatally shot Martin, having a racial bias and calling police 46 times since the beginning of 2011, often to report "suspicious activity" by African-Americans. There have also been reports that Martin punched Zimmerman to the ground and attacked him, leading Zimmerman to shoot in self-defense.
An article by Eugen Kane in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about how wearing a hoodie should not define a person was very interesting. I was suprised by Geraldo Rivera's contention that if Martin had not been wearing a hoodie, he would still be alive. I wear my Chicago Cubs hoodie for six months out of the year, and anyone can tell you that does not make me look threatening. Nor should people assume that African-Americans or Hispanics are a threat just because they are wearing a hoodie.
I think that the Trayvon Martin story is a good reminder for journalists to be careful with what language they use in their articles, because there bias might be revealed if they do not. It is important for journalists to come across to their audiences as unbiased sources for information, or else lose respect or credibiliy from readers who disagree with their stance.
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