Politically Correct News Reporting: Immoral and Unjust
By Allen
J Duffis
Published: April 13, 2008
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The New York Times has a long fielded a lead banner that supposedly represents their century long code of editorial ethics. It reads: "All the news that's fit to print." It does however, just by the wording, appear to indicate that some news - for whatever reasons - will not be allowed upon their pages. At this point one has to inquire - why? After all, news is news - isn't it? Well in today's America, that apparently is not the case. In early 2007 an incredibly horrific double murder took place in Knoxville Tennessee, the severity of which stunned the residents of that state. Five individuals were eventually apprehended and charged with the crime, and their trial commenced in April of 2008. Yet despite the heavy coverage of this heinous crime within the state of Tennessee, intense coverage in European publications, several rally's by white supremacist organizations and a threatened massive protest rally by the Ku Klux Klan in Knoxville, there has been hardly any mention of it on the prime time news channels of the major networks. In fact, it has only come to the attention of the general public at large quite recently, mainly because of bloggers on the Internet. The big mystery is - why the seemingly intentional news blackout about this one particular crime? The Crime 
On January 6, 2007, Christopher Newsom Jr.- age 23, and Channon Christian- age 21, both residents of Knoxville Tennessee and both White, went out on a dinner date to a local restaurant. Afterwards they headed to a friend's house to watch a movie, but hey never arrived nor did they ever return to their respective homes again. Where they went to was - the true essence of a living nightmare which can best be defined, without reservation, as - hell. When the couple failed to return by the following morning, their concerned parents and relatives notified the police. That following afternoon, Christopher Newsom's burned body was discovered near railroad tracks in East Knoxville, but Channon Christian remained missing The authorities ran a trace on Channon's cell phone which led to the discovery of her abandoned SUV the next day. Fingerprints raised from an envelope inside the vehicle led the police to the residence of 25 year-old Lamaricus Devall "Slim" Davidson. At the suspect's home they discovered the body of Channon Christian wrapped in a blanket. 
Eventually, five suspects were arrested and charged with the murders of Christopher Newsom and Channon Christian. Davidson, along with his brother , Letalvis "Rome" Cobbins - 24, and George Geovonni "Detroit" Thomas - 27, have all been indicted on a total of 46 counts each: 16 counts of felony murder, 2 counts of premeditated murder, 2 counts of especially aggravated robbery, 4 counts of especially aggravated kidnapping, 20 counts of aggravated rape, and 2 counts of theft. Vanessa Coleman- 18, has been indicted on a total of 40 counts: 12 counts of felony murder, 1 count of premeditated murder, 1 count of especially aggravated robbery, 4 counts of especially aggravated kidnapping, 4 counts of especially aggravated rape, and 2 counts of theft. Eric DeWayne "E" Boyd- 34 was not indicted and faces federal charges only as an accessory after the fact. Grand Jury Presentment Affidavit - click here to read 
What happened to the couple was that they were car-jacked by several individuals, all of whom were Black. According to local press accounts the couple's vehicle was taken at gunpoint, and they were bound, gagged, blindfolded and driven to Davidson's residence. From this point the initial tale of their fate clashed with that garnered from several sources. Early on there were reports that graphically indicated that, while they were still alive, the couple had suffered gruesome bodily mutilations at the hands of their kidnappers. Allegedly, after suffering prolonged sexual assaults, Christopher Newsom's sexual organs were cut off and he'd had been set on fire while still alive. And it was also reported that Channon Christian was held for four days following Christopher's death, during which time she was gang raped repeatedly, after which her captors cut off her breasts. This account was spread by a White supremacist organization, and was deliberately embellished beyond the actuality of events for obvious maximum shock affect. What really happened was, nonetheless, horrific and as has been determined and presented in the coroner's report to the Grand Jury is as follows (readers be forewarned, the description of the following events are necessarily graphic and quite disturbing): Christopher Newsom was stripped of his clothing and valuables by his kidnappers. Whereupon he was forced to suffer anal gang rape (prison style) by his captors in front of his restrained girlfriend, Channon Christian, who was forced to watch and listen to his screams brought about by the painful assault. After a period of time he was strangled to unconsciousness, and transported to a nearby location next to some railroad tracks. There he was shot three times - once in the head, his body doused with gasoline, set on fire and abandoned. The actual 'who was where and did what' became a problem for the Assistant U.S. Attorney, Tracy Stone. as is indicated by excerpts from a local Tennessee newspaper, The Knoxville Sentinel, covering events leading up to the trial: 
However, Jennings and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Stone still must link Davidson to both the carjacking and the slayings in order to prove Boyd is guilty of being an accessory to a fatal carjacking. Because of that, Jennings on Wednesday had to unveil details of the slayings that authorities so far have kept under wraps. The courtroom was packed with friends and family of Christian and Newsom as Jennings detailed the horrors the young couple endured. Newsom was slain first but not before he was repeatedly raped. "These people … tie him up, gag him, wrap him in cloth material … shot him in the back, shot him in the neck, one of those shots which would have left him paralyzed, and then shot a killshot to his head," Jennings said. "Then, his body was doused with gasoline and set afire." His body would be found hours later alongside nearby railroad tracks. Further released details tragically indicated that Newsom's companion's agony was to last much longer than his. Upon reading the painful details one can only assume she must have at some time during the ordeal, abandoned all hope of survival and most likely prayed for death. (Click here to see TV critic of worst crime we aren't allowed to hear about) Her captors who, as they had with her companion, purloined all of her valuables also stripped Channon Christian naked.. Then one by one, and later on in double combinations, commenced to take joyful turns repeatedly raping her for many hours into the night. Unfortunately for Christian her captors were able to make far more perverse use of her sexually than they had with her boyfriend. At their hands she suffered alternating anal and vaginal penetrations, then in a similar pattern was forced to perform oral sex on all of them. The abuse went on for more than four hours at the end of which time, as a final act of humiliation, they took turns urinating on her. Her final fate was sealed when, having no further use for her, they dumped her naked and semiconscious in a garbage can. That's correct, she was still alive at this point. A graphic account garnered from forensic evidence and varied testimony of those charged was released in a local newspaper: By Jamie Satterfield "What was happening to Channon Christian?" Jennings asked. "She was being gang-raped. You will hear how brutally and savagely she was treated. How long could this have gone on? For hours." At some point, Christian's attackers bound her and stashed her inside a trash can, he said. "The evidence will be when Channon Christian went into that trash can, bound, for hours ... she was alive," Jennings said. Christian would remain alive until sometime in the evening of Jan. 7, a Sunday, Jennings said."Mercifully, Channon Christian died Sunday evening," he said. Her body would not be discovered until Jan. 9. When they were through with her, she was bound, gagged and stuffed into a trash can - alive. Just before they did this, her tormentors sprayed copious amounts of a bleach solution into her mouth in an attempt to destroy any DNA evidence from semen residue. The medical authorities estimation was that she died at some indeterminate time later that evening by asphyxiation, affects of the bleach sprayed into her throat or a lethal combination of both. Was This A Hate Crime? In judgment of that question, we have to examine very carefully, from both a legal and newsworthiness standpoint, - what is and isn't a hate crime - when Whites and Blacks or recognized minorities are involved? 
The point is that if the racial sides in this incident had been reversed, especially in a southern geographical location, it would 'automatically' be deemed a 'hate crime' by both the press and the federal authorities. So once again we have to ask ourselves - why not this time? Well I have a theory and I will step out on the proverbial limb and take the blows that I know are certain to come for this - one man's opinion. This atrocious crime was, indeed, a hate crime. Why do I state this? I do so because in my exploration of the criminal backgrounds of the perpetrators, which was quite extensive, there is no evidence of this particular type or level of aggressively savage behavior. Therefore, it is clear that the sole mitigating factor driving their actions on that fateful night was one of - race. For whatever subconscious factors that may have surfaced in the heat of a crime that started as a simple car-jacking, the final factor determining their actions was the captivity of two helpless White people who were totally at their mercy: and as the evidence presented clearly demonstrates, no mercy whatsoever was extended to the victims. Was This Crime An Important News Story? 
One would think that in present day America any hate crime would most certainly qualify as news - especially one as inhumane, brutal and gruesome as this one was. Therefore, we are begged by obvious circumstances to ask the question - why - didn't the major news organizations leap upon this 'particular' story and run with it? This story would have generated network lucrative ratings points, therefore the very fact that the ratings hungry network brass, in unison, decided not to go after such an easy revenue generator. Again we have to ask - why? Also, while we're making such an inquiry we must give thought to - why - none of the major Civil Rights outlets and activists make any appearance or public comment on the case, as they have been prone to do in similar past circumstances? 
In order to approach a resolution to that burning question, we must first reflect upon other recent horrific stories of hate crimes, either substantiated or purportedly perpetrated by White citizens against Black citizens. Well try these on for size: A Black man chained to the rear end of a pickup truck and dragged to his death by three White men. A homosexual man beaten to a pulp by three homophobic White males, and left tied to a fence overnight to die. A Black teenager supposedly beaten, raped and smeared with animal feces by three White police officers - the accusation later to be proven to be false. A Black female strip dancer supposedly beaten and racially insulted by a college Lacrosse team composed of White males - though accusations were later proved to be false. All of these incidents, even before they were thoroughly investigated and substantiated, were painted across the pages and airwaves of all of the major news outlets as - Hate Crimes, attracting a huge outpouring of protests and social activists seen virtually every night on national television. But in this case of Christopher Newsom and Channon Christian - with the noted exception of news coverage within the state of Tennessee and the Fox News Channel - virtually nothing is heard - until now and mainly from the Internet Blogging Community. Why? Genesis of a News Blackout Conspiracy So what's the difference this time that was so worrying that even the U.S. Justice Department, before examining all of the evidence, was incredibly quick to declare that this incident was - not a Hate Crime? This time we have a Black candidate running for the office of President of the United States. And worried partisan forces were furiously at work to prevent the distribution , via extensive media coverage, of what they envisaged as a possible voter sensitive point of political embarrassment. Essentially, what it came down to was the following; We have a Black presidential candidate who happens to be the favorite contender of the Liberal Establishment. This grouping includes almost majority membership of the major national news media. And as the late Conservative publisher, William F.Buckley, often stated, "Journalism on American television and its newspapers is a Liberal Dictatorship." The 'keeper's of the Liberal Flame' feared that massive and intense coverage of this incident, and its legal aftermath, would bring unacceptable attention to an, at present, non-existent link between the racial aspects of this crime and their chosen favorite son's candidacy. Therefore, to avoid such notoriety, they have chosen to simply avoid coverage of this news story as much as possible. In taking this direction they have inadvertently sided with civil and race relation activists, like Rev. Jackson and Rev. Sharpton. These individuals and others also have a vested interest - in not providing this story with ' journalistic legs', particular at this moment and time which encompasses a closely contested political race for the White House. Yes, I would be the first to admit that there is a real possibility that, in the midst of a racially sensitive presidential race, this incident does hold an unknown element of potentiality to adversely affect the racial sensitivities of some members of the White Community. I make this point with particular reference to the extreme agitators within their ranks, who would more than likely hype this story for political gain. But that reasoning alone does not justify the suppression of legitimate news. Christopher Newsom and Channon Christian have a moral right to have their story told. (Click here for video of rare TV coverage of this crime) If this horrendous crime had been perpetrated by four White individuals against two Black youths, regardless of the political climate at the moment, is's details would be all over the major networks and news papers. And based upon past performance, one can be certain they would not have dropped it until they had drained every ounce of sensationalism and ratings from it. But because the situation happens to be the reverse, the political climate was factored into the newsworthiness of this story. Liberal oriented concerns were taken into account of timing of this racially explosive story. Specifically the concern addressed was to the possible adverse affects of this story, and to it's proximity on the airwaves, and in the newspaper headlines, to the campaign of a Black presidential candidate. And it was decided in silent conspiracy to push the coverage of Christopher Newsom's and Channon Christian's night of terror and double murder to the back pages and then, as quickly as possible, to editorial oblivion. Like it or not this is exactly what has taken place. This news story has been suppressed for reasons of 'politically correct oriented racial fears.' This is a very dangerous news reporting detour the national media has taken, and strikes at the very heart of our free speech rights - which supposedly they are the guardians of. And it is a departure from long-held reporting standards they should not have made or been allowed to make: all the news is fit to print - or televise. Readers Take Notice: I make no claim, by innuendo or otherwise, that Senator Barack Obama (or any presidential candidate), in any way whatsoever had anything to do with this blatant national media conspiracy to ignore, if not bury by indifference, this news story. There are those I know who will take umbrage at my suggestions and question my claims and possible political motives. On this one point I have no political motives or agenda at stake in this matter; but I do hold firmly to my conclusions, unless they can be convincingly proven to be in error. There is simply no other explanation for this perverse outrage in the name of journalism. To quote the legendary detective, Sherlock Holmes: "When all else has been eliminated, what remains must be the truth." As to the American news organizations, most of whom have already degraded their past integrity to almost invisible levels, all I can say is - Shame On All Of You!
Reference Data TRIAL UPDATE: KNOXVILLE SENTINEL - KNOXNEWS.COM - (April 16, 2008) Late Monday afternoon and early Tuesday morning, jurors heard graphic testimony from Knox County Acting Medical Examiner Dr. Darinka Mileusnic-Polchan about the deaths of Newsom and Christian. She told jurors that Newsom was repeatedly raped and then blindfolded, gagged, arms and feet bound and his head covered. Barefoot, he was either led or dragged outside the house to a set of nearby railroad tracks, where a gun was placed to the back of his head and fired. He was shot twice more, once in the neck and once in the back. His body was then set afire, she said. Christian's death would come only after hours of sexual torture, Mileusnic-Polchan testified. "It's much more than a simple sexual assault," she said. "It's extreme." Christian suffered horrific injuries to her vagina, anus and mouth. She was not only raped but savaged with "an object," the doctor testified. She was beaten in the head. Some type of chemical was poured down her throat, and her body, including her bleeding and battered genital area, likely scrubbed with the same solution - all while Christian was alive, the forensic expert said. She was then "hog-tied," with curtains and strips of bedding, her face covered tightly with a small white trash bag and her body stashed inside five large trash bags before being placed inside a large trash can and covered with sheets, Mileusnic-Polchan testified. Christian died slowly, suffocating, the medical examiner said. "My conclusion was she actually died in the trash can," Mileusnic-Polchan testified.
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