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August 06, 2007

Why We Should Care About Chauncey Bailey's Murder

Guest blogger Neil Derrough, former president of the CBS Television Stations Division, writes the following. It's important, so please read it:

The murder of Chauncey Bailey, the editor of the Oakland Post, happened four days ago. It’s astounding that with the exception of the San Francisco Bay Area, scant attention has been paid to this story. This is far more than a local murder story. It’s beyond belief that the daytime execution of a journalist while pursuing a story doesn’t stir the blood of everyone, especially people within news organizations. Where’s the coverage and outrage from other reporters, editors, publishers and those working for electronic news outlets?

So far just a few days after the murder there is little national coverage or public outrage. I think that will change as the story develops. At least I hope so. It’s difficult to defend the enormous amount of attention paid to insignificant nonsense instead of issues of more substantive importance. If another celebrity DUI had happened last week the headlines, helicopters and up-dates from media camp-outs would still blanket the story.

This tragedy strikes at the heart of multiple issues that demand attention. Not the least of which is to allow journalists to practice their craft knowing that when heartbreak of this kind happens, they have the support of the journalistic profession at large. The newspapers in the San Francisco Bay Area are joining together to dig further into this story. Good for them.

It’s time for the rest of the country to join in. The immediate national attention has been tepid at best, but there’s still time devote the concentration to this story that it deserves. This outrageous attack shouldn’t succeed in chilling the effort to vigorously pursue this story and all of its implications.

Posted by Charles Warner at August 6, 2007 06:21 PM

Comments

Media Curmudgeon [TypeKey Profile Page] at August 7, 2007 02:55 PM writes:

Nick Kotz writes:

"Proper outrage. The media should have a reward to bring the murderer to justice and/or a fund to help the poor guy's family.

Somehow, I imagined the Post covered the story well, but I'm not sure. But the news media, through its individual and group entities should be in action."


Paul Talbot [TypeKey Profile Page] at August 7, 2007 08:59 AM writes:

Sadly and predictably we all understand what has unfolded here.
Race, economics, and the Black Muslim netherworld box up a perfect trifecta of reasons to ignore this story.


Emily White [TypeKey Profile Page] at August 6, 2007 09:53 PM writes:

Thank you for posting this. I too, have been stunned by the lack of outcry. And not just by the lethargic response from the national media, but by the nonplussed attitudes of my twenty-something, college-educated peers...many of whom have dismissed discussion of Chauncey Bailey as if he were just another Bay Area resident in the wrong place,at the wrong time.
Although I agree with Neil that the journalistic profession as a whole should be outraged, I also strongly believe that they should not be the only faction expected to comprehend the implications of this tragedy. My generation--supposedly the most "media-savvy" there is--should be horrified by the unabashed murder of a journalist in the United States. Although we could certainly use guidance from journalists in understanding the depth of "how much" it matters, we should intuitively grasp the "why."


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