Same crime, different coverage. Does the media report fairly when it comes to Black and White celebs?
Until recently, I had never heard of a man named Dana White honestly. He is the President of the UFC, a company that reportedly makes over 1 billion dollars a year. Dana recently made the news, and by some peoples accounts barely, for being videotaped slapping his wife in the face at a night club recently. One would think that given his position and career, and the fact that it was caught on tape, that it would be making all the news channels and media outlets in heavy rotation. I think it’s fair to to say that based on the way the media portrayed R and B star Chris Brown immediately after his physical altercation with Pop star Rihanna, that White got off basically unscathed.
The altercation between Chris and Rihanna took place over ten years ago, and it’s not uncommon for it be brought up as if it happened this morning. It’s been widely reported that Chris Brown struck his then girlfriend Rihanna, after she accused him of infidelity. There were no witnesses, no videotape… just police reports and blurry pictures of injuries that Rihanna suffered that evening. Those photos are still shown to this day. Do you think he is still catching heart from his past? Chris recently won an American Music Award, and boo’s came from the crowd, most likely because of the incident.
I haven’t seen the press ask fellow UFC fighters, employees, etc. for their opinions about the Dana White’s incident. There has been no talks of him stepping down from his position, let alone any police charges being filed (even though the entire event was captured on tape). Physical violence is never the answer, especially towards a defenseless woman. If I were a woman, I’d be offended that there seems to be no ramifications for Dana’s actions, no huge public outcry or police involvement. Does the perpetrator have to Black or a person of color to get the support victims deserve? The fact that the incidents were very similar yet received obviously different coverage and acknowledgement is outrageous and needs to be addressed.
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