MEDIA BIAS

(Cleveland, OH) Imagine this scenario. Every year on the 1st of May, white kids at a middle school perform a ritual event. They select a black girl to attack and administer a beating. The beating causes her to suffer from psychological trauma and blackouts from blows to the head. She is forced to transfer to a different school.

The white kids go to trial where the judge disallows any testimony or evidence indicating the racial motivation of the perpetrators. Charges are dismissed for most of the offenders.

Now, imagine the media fallout. Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Maxine Waters, and other black activists would be featured on every news program denouncing the judge and the school system. The headlines of most major newspapers would broadcast "Racial Violence at Grade-School." There would be demonstrations. Op-ed pieces would call for someone's head. And, ultimately, someone would be fired.

As believable as the scenario is, it did not happen recently in Cleveland. However, if one replaces "white" with "black" and vice versa, it did happen. Without emphasis, the Cleveland Plain Dealer website reported the occurrence on 9/30/03. There is no mention of the event on the 10/01/03 Plain Dealer website report.

Since the attack occurred in May (and apparently occurs every year), isn't it odd that nobody is reporting on it? NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, and MSNBC have not pushed the story. The WaPo and the Times don't seem to think it's important. Could it be that the major media has a bias against acknowledging that wanton bigotry exists on both sides of the racial divide?

Seems so.