Websites used:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/31/trayvon-martin-protest-march-sanford
http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/01/10963191-trayvon-martin-case-911-call-screams-not-george-zimmermans-2-experts-say
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jerry-lanson/critique-of-trayvon-martin-coverage_b_1393453.html
Trayvon Martin, shot and killed while walking home. Was this an act of racism or was he up to no good? This is an ongoing question that reporters and investigators are trying to figure out. Trayvon Martin a 17 year old Africa American male was shot and killed walking through a gated community in Sanford Florida, said to be wearing a hoodie, hundreds of protestors claim that this is in fact a hate crime. George Zimmerman was allegedly accused of murdering Trayvon, but was not arrested. This created a sense of rage among the community "We will use our marching feet, civil disobedience and every weapon in our non-violent arsenal until justice is served.” The articles that are provided shed light on many different aspects of this case. The first article is an introduction to the tragedy and the affect of the community. Second, is an article from MSNBC that says forensic scientists do not believe Zimmerman; the man accused of the murder, was the voice heard from the 911 call. Last, the article from the Huffington Post shows how the coverage of this case has led people to notice that Media firms need to examine their roles covering this story.
1) What was your first reaction after learning about this case, were you surprised issues like this continue to appear in the twenty-first century?
2) Do you agree with the Sanford Police Department for not initially arresting George Zimmerman?
3) Do you think racial profiling is an ongoing issue that is often over looked?
4) If this was a Caucasian teenager, do you feel the coverage would have been different? How?
5) If you were the media involved in covering this story, which aspect would you focus most on?
1) What was your first reaction after learning about this case, were you surprised issues like this continue to appear in the twenty-first century?
ReplyDeleteTo be honest I had an angered reaction when I first heard about this case. My anger was not for any injustices but rather the immense ignorance of the American public in regard to media stories. Society is so quick to come to conclusions without full knowledge of information. It amazed me that ignorant individuals saw this case as a racial hate crime, when the facts are that the conflict was between two racial minorities. George Zimmerman is a Spanish speaking individual with black relatives, thus we can assume this case is anything but race related. I was absolutely appalled at the utter arrogance of the New Black Panther Party who chose to take this case a jumping point to push their own agenda and promote their organization.
2) Do you agree with the Sanford Police Department for not initially arresting George Zimmerman?
I do not agree with their decision. As in hostage situations, military and police authorities take custody of all present parties and hold them as possible offenders of conflict. The same concept should have been utilized in this case and George Zimmerman should have been held with the concepts of guilty until proven innocent. Unfortunately the American legal system is contrary to this and maintains the ideal of innocent until proven guilty. The officers on call must not have seen substantial circumstantial evidence to provide exigent action.
3) Do you think racial profiling is an ongoing issue that is often over looked?
I do, however I believe racial profiling has been dulled down throughout history. I feel as though it is more of an issue in other countries where slavery of minority races is prevalent. Here in America racism has taken the simple form of profiling and assumptions. It is obvious that all of these racial profiling myths are not true and that it is ignorant to generalize and make assumptions about a social or cultural community.
4) If this was a Caucasian teenager, do you feel the coverage would have been different? How?
If Trayvon was Caucasian I feel that the media would have never even picked up on the story and it would have simply been just another death in another Florida community.
5) If you were the media involved in covering this story, which aspect would you focus most on?
If I were to cover this story with a sense of moral justice than I would focus on the facts of the case only, rather than the public outcry for social or racial injustices, of which are completely irrelevant.
1) What was your first reaction after learning about this case, were you surprised issues like this continue to appear in the twenty-first century?
ReplyDeleteI think its repulsive that a young man cannot walk home safely because someone accuses him of causing problems. When I heard about this case I didnt want to believe it because Martin was doing nothing wrong, Zimmerman was following him and then shot him, it just did not add up. Bad people come in all races and colors and this person, Zimmerman generalized Martin to be the stereotypical African American young male that society portrays. I just cannot believe that we still live in an age where doing nothing wrong can make you suspicious. One of the first major things I heard of the case was that Geraldo Rivera blamed Martin's death on his red hoodie. He said it was the real cause of his death, and that just makes me so befuddled that we are making his clothing into the scapegoat for Zimmerman who is clearly out of his mind and a whack job.
2) Do you agree with the Sanford Police Department for not initially arresting George Zimmerman?
NO, ABSOLUTELY NOT. And the fact that he still has not been arrested, when he defied the police who told him on the phone to not follow Martin just makes this even more questionable of why he is still free.
3) Do you think racial profiling is an ongoing issue that is often over looked?
Yes, it is the fact that we still over generalize races and genders. Making general assumptions about groups of people is damaging not only to the victim, but to our society that shows how we are not able to grow or accept differences into the future.
4) If this was a Caucasian teenager, do you feel the coverage would have been different? How?
Well for starters Zimmerman would have been arrested immediately and secondly the police would not be cowards and hiding behind a ton of paperwork from the media. It simply would not be an issue like it is with Trayvon, instead it would be taken care of.
5) If you were the media involved in covering this story, which aspect would you focus most on?
The fact that the police still have not arrested or brought Zimmerman into custody, its the key part of the entire story.
1.Honestly I would like to say I am surprised by this, but I am not. My first reaction was that this is horrible. This poor boy was shot and killed just by the way that he looked. I personally know that it is easy to judge someone by looks, but to shoot someone because of that to me seems to be taking things way to far. I am very upset to see that this is happened.
ReplyDelete2. No, Just because George is white does not mean he should not be arrested. If people said they saw him shoot the young teenager there is no doubt in my mind that he should not have been arrested. Im sorry but this is ridiculous and the fact that it happened baffles me. In my opinion if you are a suspect to a murder you should be arrested no matter what color your skin is.
3.Yes I do, I think that is has gotten a little better over the years, but is still overlooked today in our country. Just because your skin is a certain color does not mean anything about who you are as a person. Until people realize this I feel that it will continue to be an ongoing process.
4.Im not sure about this one, I think that coverage would be big on either one. When a younger person is shot and killed it is always going to make the news. Finding out the details about this case makes me think that the coverage is actually bigger on this one due to the racial profiling that is obvious.
5.If I were the media I would focus on the fact that a young boy got shot for the way he looked and not for something he did, and that the man that may have committed this crime has not even been arrested for it.
Like Katie stated, I'd like to say that I was surprised, but sadly, I was not. I imagine that things like this probably happen far more frequently than we'd all like to think. These articles were the first that I had read on the situation, but not the first time I've heard of it. I've seen the headlines and posts on Facebook. People are rallying in support of Trayvon, which is heartwarming to see.
ReplyDeleteI do not agree with the Sanford Police Department for not initially arresting George Zimmerman. There were no eye witnesses, so they should have detained him to get as much information on the situation as possible. Granted, some of the information may be slanted in Zimmerman's favor, but at least they would have had an initial idea of what the situation was like, and matched it up with the 911 phone calls.
I believe that racial profiling is absolutely an ongoing issue! It happens all too often at our airports. Its sad that people in our country cannot look past the color of someone's skin, gender, or age or any other characteristics. I've experienced profiling and discrimination based on my age many times. Profiling of any kind seems ridiculous in my mind, as it is a sweeping generalization based on assumptions. And you know what they say about assuming...it makes an ass out of you and me. You can't judge someone based on what you see on the surface. There's a whole person under there, and you never know who they can be.
If this was a Caucasian teenager, this story would likely have slipped through the cracks of the media coverage. Or maybe (hopefully?) the media would have focused on different aspects of the story - like how Zimmerman wasn't arrected.
If I was in the shoes of the media on this story, I think that I would have touched on all aspects equally. The racial profiling, the age of the victim, and how the Sanford Police Department reacted. In my opinion, they are all equally important in the story as a whole.
1) What was your first reaction after learning about this case, were you surprised issues like this continue to appear in the twenty-first century?
ReplyDeleteI am bothered, and quite honestly a little angered at how the American public is responding to this case. For the past month, society has seemingly drawn its own conclusions regarding Trayvon Martin's death based on how the media is portraying it. "Portraying" doesn't even seem appropriate; I would say "distorting" is more fitting. For example, NBC News came under fire after Fox News and others discovered that the network had edited the audio tapes that they broadcast to make it look as if Zimmerman believed Martin’s race made him dangerous. NBC broadcast: "This guy looks like he's up to no good. He looks black." But, without any warning to listeners, they cut out three sentences in between the two they broadcast, including the dispatcher asking Zimmerman: “OK, and this guy--is he black, white or Hispanic?”
It is media coverage such as this; media coverage that purposely excludes critical facts and pieces of information, that causes the American public to draw false conclusions, and therefore provokes ignorance.
2) Do you agree with the Sanford Police Department for not initially arresting George Zimmerman?
Yes. There is simply no evidence proving that this was a hate crime, or a crime that was the result of racial profiling. Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law states that a person may use force in self-defense when there is reasonable belief of a threat. Who's to say that Trayvon Martin didn't attack George Zimmerman, especially if he was convinced that he was being racially profiled?
George Zimmerman's father was interviewed on Hannity (FOX News) last night, and claimed that as George was walking to his vehicle, Trayvon approached him and asked him if there was a problem. When George replied with "No," Trayvon said "Well, now you do." He then punched George in the nose, breaking it (which has been proven), and began beating his head into the ground (which also has credibility, as photos of Zimmerman with gashes on the back of his head have just been revealed). Although we do not know if this is true, I can tell you this: if somebody were beating my head into the ground, I would draw my gun too. Especially if it meant saving my own life. No, Trayvon Martin didn't deserve to die, but Zimmerman absolutely had a right to protect and defend himself if he was in danger.
3) Do you think racial profiling is an ongoing issue that is often over looked?
Without a doubt; however, I do not believe that racial profiling is what led to Trayvon Martin's death.
4) If this was a Caucasian teenager, do you feel the coverage would have been different? How?
Yes, and I believe Cam's explanation is spot-on: if Trayvon Martin were Caucasian, this wouldn't be anything more than another death in a Florida community.
5) If you were the media involved in covering this story, which aspect would you focus most on?
The facts of the case ONLY. Simply put, we cannot make assumptions and draw conclusions based on what we don't know.
I think that it is always surprising when we hear of happenings like this still. I have experienced racism towards my black friends and honestly, I feel enraged. You would think that society would have let this go by now, but apparently they haven't and in my opinion that is completely shameful.
ReplyDeleteI feel that racial profiling does still happen. Again, I have witnessed this. I think that yes, this can be overlooked unfortunately.
They should have arrested Zimmerman plain and simple. If he was suspected, there is no reason why he should not be taken into custody.
This story definitely would not have gotten the attention it had if it was a white person who had been killed. We pin racism as being an act of hatred towards a non-white race. It is less likely to be labeled as racism if a white person was killed instead.
If I were the media I would focus on the problem at hand. The fact is that this young man was killed for what appears to be an act of racism. The media needs to focus on the fact that this is still an occuring problem.
1) I was surprised that this young boy was killed just for walking through a gated community. I can’t say I am surprised that something like this has happened in the 21st century because there are still people who were brought up during the civil rights movement that didn’t support it. It is through their upbringing and beliefs of their parents that the issues during the Civil Rights movement continue to be brought up today. I am not saying that the man was racist but rather when I thought about it if I lived in a gated community I would have a sense of security and anything that was outside the norm would raise an alarm.
ReplyDelete2) I do agree with the polices decision not to arrest Zimmerman because the man shot and killed someone and claimed self-defense and under Florida’s Stand your ground law he was doing everything under his authority to protect himself. The police were observing the law and not letting him off because he was a white male.
3) I do think racial profiling is an ongoing issue but I don’t think it is being overlooked but rather it is seen as a norm. Many people racially profile people just not in a malicious manner but rather based on the extreme of that race. People profile others based on what they hear about that race and typically what people hear is bad.
4) I do think that the coverage would be different because frankly because it was a white male involved. However, I don’t think it would be much different because regardless of the race of the victim he was still 17 and that is what would grab people the most. So yes if he was white I think there would be more uproar but I think that the more shocking factor is the age.
5) Personally, I would focus on the fact that is victim was 17 and not about the color of his skin. For me it doesn’t matter what color you are you are still a person and mean just as much as any other person. The tragedy of this story is that a 17 year old boy was killed under strange circumstances and not that he was black of white or Asian or anything. That fact is a 17 year old is dead and people are focusing on color issues rather than the real tragedy.
1) What was your first reaction after learning about this case, were you surprised issues like this continue to appear in the twenty-first century?
ReplyDeleteAt first when I heard about this case I was definitely sad to hear such news. I was also confused about the details of the case at first. I cannot say I was too shocked, sadly.
2) Do you agree with the Sanford Police Department for not initially arresting George Zimmerman?
It's hard to say-- I understand that Florida has the Stand your ground law so technically he could use the self defense if he felt needed. I think that either way if someone has been shot and killed the situation should be investigated just to make sure it was for sure a case of self defense. If everyone could just murder people and get off with it as a case of self defense without any investigation then I don't know what to say about Florida's laws? I honestly don't know what really happened so I'm not saying it was murder either. Just saying maybe he should have been taken into custody for investigation just to make sure.
3) Do you think racial profiling is an ongoing issue that is often over looked?
Yes it is an ongoing issue and I don't necessarily believe that it is over looked, but instead people just pretend that it's getting better. Racism may not be alive as much as before but that doesn't mean that people aren't still out there making their judgements and assuming things about people based on their race. Just because it isn't like it older times or you don't see hate crimes everyday on the news doesn't mean plain old racial profiling doesn't still happen.
4) If this was a Caucasian teenager, do you feel the coverage would have been different? How?
Probably. All of the coverage would be different because all the media was concentrating on was race and the fact that he was African American. Things would be changed up if it was a white teenager. Who knows, it could also get changed up because it was a Hispanic man shooting a White teenager. People could twist and turn that story as how ever they wanted.
5) If you were the media involved in covering this story, which aspect would you focus most on?
I feel like I would focus most on the whole part about the Florida Stand your ground law. I didn't even know that played a role in this story after a while. When I first heard of the story I heard it as "An African American teenager was shot and killed and the man wasn't arrested..." I mean, it just took me a little while to understand what the police were doing there.
1) What was your first reaction after learning about this case, were you surprised issues like this continue to appear in the twenty-first century?
ReplyDeleteMy heart sank when I first read about this issue. I was deeply upset to see how ignorant the police could act in not arresting an immediate, and prime suspect of the case. This is most certainly a hate crime. I know that at Nichols we treat hate crime cases far more seriously than any other college policy offense, so I was a little shocked to hear that this still continues in the 21st century. Our law enforcement should be the first people in society to treat all individuals as equal. This poor, innocent, youth was simply walking home with a bag of Skittles. I highly doubt that he had any intention to harm or disturb Zimmerman.
2) Do you agree with the Sanford Police Department for not initially arresting George Zimmerman?
NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. Like, are you kidding me? He is the only real witness let alone suspect to the crime. My heart goes out to the victim's family. "A mother's tears have no color", and thanks to the racial profiling of Zimmerman, this family has lost one of their greatest gifts. I guarantee if this was a white boy wearing a "hoodie", Zimmerman would have been locked up days ago.
3) Do you think racial profiling is an ongoing issue that is often over looked?
Yes, I think it is beginning to be ignored. Racial profiling is still a very prominent issue in society, especially in highly-populated urban areas. Having lived in Washington D.C., I first hand witnessed the atrocities of racism. I saw people on the Metro become physically scared if they stood close to someone of African American descent. To be honest, I think I received more help from a person who did not share the same skin color as myself when I lived there. I was incredibly lost, out of my district, and had no idea where I needed to go during my first week. That person actually gave me their own map and set of directions of where I needed to be. I cannot say the same for the busy, white male, running down the street, self-absorbed, and late to a business meeting.
Sadly, I have even seen racial profiling on the Nichols campus. I have watched girls (generally in the younger grades) hold their purse closer if someone they are not familiar or comfortable with walked by them on their way to class. It was disheartening and pathetic to see this on such a close-knit community campus.
4) If this was a Caucasian teenager, do you feel the coverage would have been different? How?
Well, the boy would have been made out to be "perfect". He would have been described as an 'all-american', or a 'successful high school athlete', or an 'honors society' student who was randomly gunned down in the street. Additionally, Zimmerman would have most likely been arrested immediately. Actually, scratch that; this incident would not have happened at all. This was again a hate crime.
5) If you were the media involved in covering this story, which aspect would you focus most on?
The family and finding justice. I would want to help the family find closure. I would have focused on the boy's attributes, and time in this world. I would have liked to paint a picture for America to show that sadly social injustice still exists. I would have also made a big deal that Zimmerman is essentially a fugitive .
1) What was your first reaction after learning about this case, were you surprised issues like this continue to appear in the twenty-first century?
ReplyDeleteI was very surprised when I heard about this case, also that I am still hearing about this case. It has caused a huge talk and protest down in Florida. I couldn’t believe that Zimmerman shot the young boy, hate crime or not.
2) Do you agree with the Sanford Police Department for not initially arresting George Zimmerman?
No, I don’t agree with Sanford Police Department in regards to not arresting Zimmerman on the spot. The man shot an incent young boy. Because he was of a different race and wearing a hoodie? Talk about stereotyping.
3) Do you think racial profiling is an ongoing issue that is often over looked?
I do think that racial profiling is an ongoing issue that we has human often over look. We do it on a daily basis and sometimes we don’t even know we are doing it. Walking down the street in a busy city, walking passed an African American we put a firmer grip on our belongings because we are scared that something is going to happen. If we are on a plane and we see someone of a Middle East ethnicity we think twice about sitting next to them or if we are going to get to the destination alive.
4) If this was a Caucasian teenager, do you feel the coverage would have been different? How?
I do think that if Trayvon Martin was a Caucasian teenage and Zimmerman shot him, I think that he would have been arrested on the spot and there would not be as much coverage as there is in today’s news. Just because he was an African American teenage he is looked at as a gang member and/or trouble.
5) If you were the media involved in covering this story, which aspect would you focus most on?
If I were involved with the media and covering this story I would focus my attention on the fact that a young African American teenage was shot and killed just because of the color of his skin.