Some national media outlets are framing the Mike Brown case by using words that can provoke racial profiling. The New York Times continues to catch flack after writing feature stories on Mike Brown and his killer, Darren Wilson.
In the article “Michael Brown Spent Last Weeks Grappling With Problems and Promise,” writer John Eligon wrote, “Michael Brown, 18, due to be buried on Monday, was no angel.”
Eligon continues to paint an unflattering picture of Brown by writing about Brown’s cigar theft, his use of drugs and alcohol, a scuffle with a neighbor, and producing rap that included vulgar lyrics.
The words seem to suggest that Brown’s troubled past makes his death less significant. The last three U.S. presidents abused drugs and alcohol as teenagers. There isn’t a teenager in this world who doesn’t “grapple with problems and promise.”
On the other hand, Darren Wilson’s feature is a warm profile of a man who happens to be a child killer. Wilson’s piece was written by Monica Davey and Frances Robles.
They reveal how Wilson’s mother stole money from neighbors and was arrested and convicted in 2001. But Wilson was also a part of a police department that had racial issues and misused federal funds. The department was forced to shut down.
Although Wilson was raised by a criminal and worked in a department full of criminals, he was called, “Low-key, soft-spoken and well-mannered” in the article. According to the article, Wilson’s past did not haunt him.
The New York Times responded by calling the “no angel” comment a “blunder.”
