Hands up, Don't -

The recent news on the issue of race relations requires examination. We can examine the issues of Ferguson, Missouri. It would seem the idea of crisis has the ability to break the normative structure of society. Despite the ongoing blatant racism occurring within our society, the media went dark on such issues since the death of Travon Martian. However, the issue of Ferguson, Missouri went further than any event before. Even when we talk about the issue of previous riots we don’t get the blockade and arrest of media personalities.

Coverage of the crisis played out almost exactly like an example of text book crisis reporting. A few hours after the initial shooting The New York Times had already framed the anger and disaster on the streets. Griefand Protests Follow Shooting of a Teenager. Such is very consistent with the description provided by Graber, “Reporters, officials, and onlookers rush to the scene. Radio and Television stations interrupt regularly scheduled programs with uncoordinated bulletins announcing the extraordinary event.” (Mass Media and American Politics, 2014, p. 127)

A little under two days after the event Huffington, Black Voices pushed a story to correct information earlier given by the media. StarkRacial Disparities In Ferguson, Missouri, The Town Where Michael Brown Was Shot. This logically followed the second stage of crisis reporting in which, “the media tries to connect past errors and place things into prospective.” (Graber, p.129) However, such would soon shake and break the chain of crisis reporting. Many refused to connect the issue happening in Ferguson, Missouri with “larger, long-range prospective” (Graber, p.130)

Returning from vacation, Bill O’Reilly returned from vacation upset about the way in which the media was reporting issues.

 O’Rilly failed to talk about issues that had already been discovered to this point, but failed to link the issue to the shooting Walmart death in Ohio (John Crawford), the murder of Jordan Davis over loud music, and the shooting death of Travon Martin. All of these murders involved black men being murdered. As Mr. O’Reilly points out the liberal media attempts to connect the dots, but he has problems about that.

 Like all crisis coverage this coverage has consequences. As O’Reilly mentions several people migrated to Ferguson, Missouri after the shooting was reported on television. Furthermore, the said people staring rioting and looting. There is one event in this that could have never been predicted.

The arresting for reporters and the establishment of news zones soon shifted the conversation. Soon the story focused on the arrest of reports, leaving the reason of their arrest behind.