Media coverage of Murders

[seasider]

A previous locked thread that I was about to post on got me thinking. Why do some murders attract more media interest than others?

A few weeks ago Farik Farukh an Iraqi Kurd and failed asylum seeker was charged with the murder of Lithuanian mother of 2 Inga Losiene.

Her body was found in the boot of a car on the 5th June she had been missing since 27th May. He was also charged with two counts of rape of a child aged under 13 and one offence of sexual touching of a child under 13.

Initially this murder was only reported locally. It was later on Crime Watch when they were looking for the boyfriend Farik Farukh .

I must admit I would have thought that considering the circumstances and how long the guy was on the run, it would have more than local news coverage.

Would this murder have attracted more national media coverage if it had been a middle class English woman?

Edited coz spelllin

>> Edited by seasider on Wednesday 24th August 17:14

[MILF]

Not withstanding the tirade of abuse I was subject to on that earlier Topic, I'll add my own 2p worth.

On one hand it may not have been reported because of the fact that the alleged perpetrator was a failed asylum seeker, but on the other it may not have been reported due to the nationality of the victim.

Bet the Editor of the Daily Mail had a migraine that day !!

[dick dastardly]

seasider said:

Would this have murder have attracted more national media coverage if it had been a middle class English woman?

I dare say that it would. It's easier for the majority of the viewers/readers to relate to someone of similar background, making it a more shocking & memorable story.

[rich1231]

MILF said:

Not withstanding the tirade of abuse I was subject to on that earlier Topic, I'll add my own 2p worth. On one hand it may not have been reported because of the fact that the alleged perpetrator was a failed asylum seeker, but on the other it may not have been reported due to the nationality of the victim. Bet the Editor of the Daily Mail had a migraine that day !!

Tirade of abuse? Note to Mods: Refund of 2p required for Milf. He seems to have the revisionist approach to life.

Wrong-uns are of all shapes, sizes, colours etc. Events like these should all be reported. Its because the media nanny the population that problems arise.

[seasider]

MILF said:

On one hand it may not have been reported because of the fact that the alleged perpetrator was a failed asylum seeker, but on the other it may not have been reported due to the nationality of the victim.

Do you think it makes a difference

[hustlebabe]

seasider said:

MILF said: On one hand it may not have been reported because of the fact that the alleged perpetrator was a failed asylum seeker, but on the other it may not have been reported due to the nationality of the victim. Do you think it makes a difference

Moving away from this subject, nearly nudged your right arm while you were waiting on the opposite side of the road to Tesco Xpress on sunday pm.

>> Edited by hustlebabe on Wednesday 24th August 17:21

[AlexH]

Being cynical I would say it has alot to do with how many papers the tabloids reckon they can shift. A picture of a young attractive person (preferably female) with a Shock! Horror! Tragedy! type headline to go with it is probably going to shift more papers than an ugly old bloke from a minority demographic; not racism here, they're just thinking of who their (potential) readership is.

[rich1231]

hustlebabe said:

seasider said: MILF said: On one hand it may not have been reported because of the fact that the alleged perpetrator was a failed asylum seeker, but on the other it may not have been reported due to the nationality of the victim. Do you think it makes a difference Moving away from this subject, nearly nudged your right arm while you were waiting on the opposite side of the road to Tesco Xpress on sunday pm. >> Edited by hustlebabe on Wednesday 24th August 17:21

In the Broadway?

[hustlebabe]

Yeap.....that's one of my 'manors'

[rich1231]

hustlebabe said:

Yeap.....that's one of my 'manors'

Next time, trip him up :-)

[hustlebabe]

Then ask for his visa and a fee.

Stepping on my 'soil' indeed

[tvrgit]

It's interesting how this argument has developed.

I started by wondering about a north-south divide (which I suppose might also be perceived as "racist" but it wasn't meant to be! - only a comment on how "geographically-convenient" cases might be to cover, combined with a "local shock" effect because the case of the wee lad Rory is fairly high profile where I live)

There is obviously much more to it than that though, because a lot of you have different theories about "media-worthiness" of stories - and that, to me, is very sad, because every one of these cases is an absolute bloody tragedy, and deserves the same level of thought and respect.

respect... something sadly missing in so may places these days, the antics of some people are simply disgusting.

[wedge girl]

I think you also need to consider the fact that some families court the press where as others close their doors.

[Balmoral Green]

It's not just what they report, but how they report it too. This little lad for example, now it is finally big news and being reported on National TV, I was watching the BBC coverage last night, and they had the reporter by the side of the road at the lay-by/bus-stop where his mum dropped him off. The reporter talks us through mum pulling up in the car, kissing him goodbye and then turning the car around and watching him walk down the path to go under the underpass as she drove past. The reporter made a big thing out of 'they had used the underpass as it was the safest place to cross the busy main road' but he was REALLY milking the irony of that, almost mockingley. I was bloody furious that he did this, he actually thought he was being clever and a good journalist, the smarminess was oozing out of him. It was like the British tourists who got blown up at the hotel bombings in the middle east recently, the fact they had been brutally murdered and blown up was secondary to the tragedy that this was their 1st holiday in five years, which seemed to be so important it was repeated adnauseum.

>> Edited by Balmoral Green on Wednesday 24th August 20:01

[ulakye]

There was an article in one of the Sunday papers recently which put the number of murders in this country at about 800 per year - so roughly 2 per day. The most common cause is still domestic violence so anyone killed in this way doesn't seem to get reported. I guess the media probably rank cases in the following order :-

Terrorism
Famous people
Children
Multiple killings
Unusual or mysterious circumstances

At the same time you could argue that due to the number of murders, it simply ceases to become news on a routine basis. And reporting will also depend on the number of 'competing' stories on the same day.

[seasider]

tvrgit said:

respect... something sadly missing in so may places these days, the antics of some people are simply disgusting.

Agreed

seasider said:

Farik Farukh an Iraqi Kurd and failed asylum seeker

Allegedly was investigated over the death of his mother when 16 and about the disappearance (never found) of a young woman in London.

Pity he is even in the Country

[seasider]

hustlebabe said:

nearly nudged your right arm while you were waiting on the opposite side of the road to Tesco Xpress on sunday pm.

next time...

How did you know it was me..

rich1231 said:

Next time, trip him up :-)

[Ace-T]

Following on from WG's comment about courting the press, does anyone else find it a bit distateful that the parents of the kid that was killed in the sand hole have appeared in 'Closer' mag. I don't know if they have been paid for it but I can genuinely say if I was a parent who had lost a child under any circumstances I would be telling the press vultures to go away in very clear language...

Ace-T

PS please correct me if I have this wrong...

[N17 TVR]

Del

I am glad to see that in your dotage you are beginning to show an interest in social issues and military history.

However, is it fair to say that this co-incides with a decrease in trading volumes in the square mile

p.s. have you tried writing to your MP & The Times ?



>> Edited by N17 TVR on Thursday 25th August 13:30

[baskey]

Anthony Walker in Liverpool was killed by people who are alleged to be racist.

the same wknd that other chap (i can't even find his name on the interweb!) was killed on a night bus in london for asking someone to stop throwing food around.

now i have great sympathy for anyone connected for with either victim anyone who kills anyone is an ar5e - but i am as a young white male far more likely to be in the position of the second guy - and yet there is not a single mention of how that case is going even on the ldn news...