TV News Sells Racism

Central High School debate fanatic Joe Miller at Kansas City Soil has a fantastic post about local TV coverage of a fight at Central High School. He points out how the news swarmed all over the school for a story about a high school brawl, but has refused his attempts to get any coverage for the ground-breaking debate team he helps out there. He expresses his anger, and then acknowledges

Yes. I'm nuts. But I can't help but be pissed. While these pretty-haired hacks were working up their non-news story -- "Fight Breaks Out at Central High" -- I spent three hours inside Central reading and analyzing feminist writings by bell hooks, Barbara Smith and Michelle Bauer with brilliant, nonviolent kids. I'm there every afternoon doing stuff like this.

Joe is absolutely correct in his analysis - the newscasters would much rather affirm the view that the kids at Central (and other urban public schools) are a bunch of gang-banging savages, than confuse their bland target audience with stories that break down their stereotypes.