Trayvon Martin Dominates Media Coverage, But Some Wish It Didn't

News and information about Trayvon Martin's death dominates the media.  It wasn't always that way,  the shooting occurred on February 26th but the national media reports didn't start until March 8th  and intensified with each subsequent release of the 911 tapes, video, rallies with chants of "no justice, no peace," protests, petitions on Facebook and donning of hoodies by clergy, their flock et al.

According to the Pew Research Center, it is the top story for the second consecutive week.

Their weekly News Interest Index survey, conducted March 29-April 1 surveyed 1,000 adults and found both a racial and partisan divide among whether folks felt the case is receiving too much coverage in the media.

According to the survey, 43 percent of whites compared to 16 percent of blacks surveyed felt there was too much coverage of Trayvon's death.  56 percent of Republicans compared with 37 percent of Independents and 25 percent of Democrats felt there was too much coverage.

Additionally, 58 percent of blacks state that news of Trayvon is their top story as compared with 24 percent of whites.

Regardless of race, 38 percent of Democrats are closely following the case as compared with 19% of Republicans.  

It is against this backdrop of divisions based on race and political party affiliation that the expectations around coverage of the case mirror our expectations around resolution of or at least despite the "stand your ground law" an arrest, indictment, grand jury hearing, or some srt of legal action.

That is what fuels the media interest in the case for most blacks and Democrats and it would seem that most whites and Republicans think that there is no need for any adjudication of this case and therefore no need for its media domination.

It would be interesting to see how other races and ethnicities feel about this considering that the shooter, George Zimmerman is Latino.

Although this is generally discussed as a black and white issue, it is far from being that simplistic.  Clearly there is minimally much more talking to be done.

 

Follow Akilah Bolden-Monifa on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Kiki_Thinks

Comments

[freekybig53]

11:58 PM on 04/13/2012

Did you ever hear a media representative so proud of the fact that they pushed a local story into national attention to the point that their one sided stories have most of the country convinced of his guilt before a trial and also because of the media he is unlikely to get a fair trial !! Its going to be a joke the next time a Liberal on here start spouting the innocent till proven guilty rhetoric when a Black kills a White if this media even sees fit to print that story !!

[ACSial]

03:29 AM on 04/15/2012

Of the MSM's episodes of yellow journalism, in this case, here is one of the worst:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303772904577333713071963038.html

[freekybig53]

09:00 AM on 04/15/2012

That was an amazing link ,thanks for sharing it !!!!

[fabuloush2s]

10:40 PM on 04/13/2012

My simple answer is to connect. The connection is long overdue. This story is about Justice... but before we leap there, it has all the elements for prevention towards people of color, yes, Afro-Americans.. The shade has been pulled down to the justice system for many years.. after the partical success of the 1960- civil rights movement. Slowly somehow, the arm for justice became twisted again soon after President Clinton left office, I know there has been a negative smog in the faces of Afro Americans. I have experienced profound violations of civil and due process rights, but you do not give up you continue to fight for what is right and what one believes.

This case is sad and extremely emotional as all other harms and abuses against children regardless of color... there is small hope today for in this generation to gain fairness, from education to the courtsides in gaming times. The country is in turmoil felt deep and hard in many families. Homes lost, jobs, war.... enough is going on without the hatred coming forth against the POTUS. It is all hanging out there ready to pop and the media is taking it day after day for their ratings and fame. We are not reporting good news anymore, bad to the worst of everything. Where is leadership? Watching the media?