CNN Looks At The Noose "Nightmare"

Megan Williams, 20, of West Virginia, with her mother Carmen. Six whites have been indicted in her kidnapping and torture.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos

CNN Looks At The Noose "Nightmare"

Oct 22nd 2007 2:21PM by Jeff Douglas

CNN aired a segment Tuesday night on how the violent symbol of the noose has resurfaced. "The Noose: An American Nightmare" aired at 8 p.m. ET.

But does CNN really understand whose "noose nightmare" this is exactly? Did CNN consider the possibility of more copycats by highlighting the incidents?

The program looks at its history of hatred, the Columbia University noose incident, one with the Coast Guard, a noose hanging at Maryland University and the Jena Six, which brought this racist tool of expression and violence back into the spotlight.

Kyra Phillips reports on the re-emergence of nooses. Phillips is white, but first off, Phillips is a good journalist and her race does not matter in that regard. She covered Katrina, 9-11 and some of the biggest stories in America over the last few years.

But could a black reporter bring more meaning and a perspective that a white reporter could not?

Or would an African American journalist disenfranchise a certain audience who thinks he or she is just black and biased?

Who knows if CNN asked these questions before filming the segment. Those are tough questions and it's much easier to just roundup all the recent noose cases and report on them.

Having one of CNN's African American reporters deliver this story could have painted a clear picture of the terrifying message that nooses have really sent through the black community. That message is one of fear, racism, death, history and hatred.

That story has not been reported. And neither has the story on how these hate crimes have gone unpunished.