Local Newspapers Cover Rising Number of Racist Anti-Obama Actions in Small Towns
many local newspapers around the country have covered recent incidents of racially motivated reactions to last week's election, from flags hung upside-down to the dangling of nooses and cross burnings. As we noted last week, a couple in northern New Jersey who had an Obama sign on their front lawn woke up to find the charred remains of a cross. Local residents today announced a "unity march" to protest the still-unsolved incident. Full Story »
Posted by Kaizar Campwala
It's horrifying to read these accounts. I'm torn about whether or not they should be reported on. There is an important function that local newspapers perform on reporting them in that people within those communities can be kept informed of what is going on in their own backyard and organize events in response, like the "unity march" mentioned in northern New Jersey, to show that the larger community is against these hate crimes. But without larger context, is a list like this just like a crime blotter in the local paper--instilling fear but not wholly constructive?