Boston Globe Story Perpetuates Myth of Urban Youth and Damages State Senator
Janet's comments on Boston Globe story (November 11, 2005):
"DA HIRES SON OF SENATOR DESPITE HISTORY OF ARRESTS" by Suzanne Smalley
On November 11, 2005, the Boston Globe printed this story by staff member Suzanne Smalley in which she released the arrest record of Cornell Mills, son of state Senator Dianne Wilkerson. Senator Wilkerson is currently being sued by the state attorney general for alleged campaign finance violations. She is fighting the allegations and reports that she was denied a fair opportunity to respond to the concerns before the suit was filed. All of the charges brought against her son have been dismissed.
The November 24 edition of the Bay State Banner reports that the unauthorized leak of Cornell Mills arrest record in the Boston Globe story of November 11 is under investigation by the Boston Police Department and the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office as an abuse of Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) laws. The Boston Globe has yet to report this investigation.
There are many things wrong with Nov 11 Globe story in addition to its use of an unauthorized leak. First of all, the police record of Cornell Mills has nothing to do with the charges currently being brought against Senator Wilkerson. Mr Mill's CORI is simply irrelevant to Senator Wilkerson's case. Although the story does state that none of Mr. Mills' arrests resulted in conviction, the detailing of Mr. Mills arrest record cannot help but damage Senator Wilkerson in the eyes of readers, particularly white readers who tend to put a black face on violence and who discredit the parents of urban youth with CORI's. Further, as evident in the title, the story suggests that District Attorney Daniel F. Conley hired Mr. Mills as a civilian investigator in his office's homicide unit because of political connections, again negatively implicating Senator Wilkerson with no supporting evidence. The story does quote Conley saying that he knew of Mills' record and decided that Mills deserved the job because of his numerous qualifications. However, the bulk of the story is devoted to outlining the details of Mr. Mills record and it ends with a quote from Eugene O'Donnell, a former New York City prosecutor and police officer saying "There's a 'what's wrong with this picture' aspect even when it's not a provable offense."
There is indeed a "what's wrong with this picture" aspect to this story, although it's not the one suggested by Mr. O'Donnell. It's the Globe's use of an unauthorized leak to perpetuate the predominantely white media's association of black urban youth with crime and by extension, to damage a respected African American state senator.
If you want to take action on this issue, write the Globe with your comments!
----
If you want to read the article these comments refer to, visit the Boston Globe website and register an account to view their articles on the web.
"DA HIRES SON OF SENATOR DESPITE HISTORY OF ARRESTS" by Suzanne Smalley
On November 11, 2005, the Boston Globe printed this story by staff member Suzanne Smalley in which she released the arrest record of Cornell Mills, son of state Senator Dianne Wilkerson. Senator Wilkerson is currently being sued by the state attorney general for alleged campaign finance violations. She is fighting the allegations and reports that she was denied a fair opportunity to respond to the concerns before the suit was filed. All of the charges brought against her son have been dismissed.
The November 24 edition of the Bay State Banner reports that the unauthorized leak of Cornell Mills arrest record in the Boston Globe story of November 11 is under investigation by the Boston Police Department and the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office as an abuse of Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) laws. The Boston Globe has yet to report this investigation.
There are many things wrong with Nov 11 Globe story in addition to its use of an unauthorized leak. First of all, the police record of Cornell Mills has nothing to do with the charges currently being brought against Senator Wilkerson. Mr Mill's CORI is simply irrelevant to Senator Wilkerson's case. Although the story does state that none of Mr. Mills' arrests resulted in conviction, the detailing of Mr. Mills arrest record cannot help but damage Senator Wilkerson in the eyes of readers, particularly white readers who tend to put a black face on violence and who discredit the parents of urban youth with CORI's. Further, as evident in the title, the story suggests that District Attorney Daniel F. Conley hired Mr. Mills as a civilian investigator in his office's homicide unit because of political connections, again negatively implicating Senator Wilkerson with no supporting evidence. The story does quote Conley saying that he knew of Mills' record and decided that Mills deserved the job because of his numerous qualifications. However, the bulk of the story is devoted to outlining the details of Mr. Mills record and it ends with a quote from Eugene O'Donnell, a former New York City prosecutor and police officer saying "There's a 'what's wrong with this picture' aspect even when it's not a provable offense."
There is indeed a "what's wrong with this picture" aspect to this story, although it's not the one suggested by Mr. O'Donnell. It's the Globe's use of an unauthorized leak to perpetuate the predominantely white media's association of black urban youth with crime and by extension, to damage a respected African American state senator.
If you want to take action on this issue, write the Globe with your comments!
----
If you want to read the article these comments refer to, visit the Boston Globe website and register an account to view their articles on the web.
posted by Janet at
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
|
0 comments
