COMMENTARY: Media May Actually Be To Blame for Violent Ferguson Protests
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Related: RIOTS WHAT ARE THEY GOOD FOR?
Protesters run from a cloud of tear gas after a grand jury returned no indictment in the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, November 24, 2014. REUTERS
FERGUSON, MISSOURI--Even as Thanksgiving beckons, the violent sights, sounds, and scenes from a night of rioting in Ferguson, Mo., linger in memories across the nation and around the world. For most of us, news and reports of this national tragedy unfolded not on our familiar streets but on our TV screens, our cell phones, and the pages of social media. Whether today we feel upset, excited, angry, horrified, or anguished — whether or not issues of justice are foremost in our minds — many of us wonder about the influence of the media. Did the media play a role in inciting this riot?