On July 3, police in Akron, Ohio released body camera footage of the police killing of Jayland Walker. AllSides detected numerous types of media bias on display in reuters coverage of the incident, including word choice bias, slant, and spin.
The Reuters article employs slant when covering subsequent protests. It mentions the protests that took place later that day at City Hall and again frames police unfavorably. They emphasize that outside City Hall, the protests were “peaceful.” Then they mention another protest outside of the Akron Police Department’s headquarters, stating that the police declared the protest an unlawful assembly and threw tear gas at protesters while armed with riot gear.
It’s not until the very end of the article that Reuters mentions that there was a bullet casing consistent with Mr. Walker’s weapon at the scene, supporting the claim he fired his weapon, according to the police. By burying this information at the end of the article and saying Walker was “, which occurs when certain pieces of information are highlighted or played down in order to frame the story in a biased way.
Reuters prequalifies the details about the bullet casing with “when pressed by reporters for evidence…” Paired with earlier statements that the Akron Police did not respond to a request for comment and that the officers, who were put on leave, did not release any individual statements, Reuters gives the impression that the police were not forthcoming with important details of the investigation and the following protests.
The Reuters article does not quote anyone who believes the shooting or dispersion of protesters with tear gas was justified, whereas they do quote the Walker family’s defense attorney and his opinion that the shooting was unjustified. They tie this event to George Floyd and frame the police as overreacting to peaceful protests. There was no mention of the
during the protests. Those editorial choices indicate an overall slant and bias toward a particular viewpoint on police killings and the racial justice movement throughout the Reuters article. When articles group events together, such as George Floyd death with another police shooting, consider whether it's appropriate to group them together based on the facts of the case at hand.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Breonna Taylor, Jacob Blake's family arrested in Akron, Ohio during protestJacob Blake Jr. was shot by a Kenosha Police Officer seven times and left partially paralyzed. Taylor, who was employed as an EMT, was inside her home when police conducted a “no-knock raid” on her home in Louisville and she was fatally shot.
Read more »
Minnesota man arrested in Akron during Jayland Walker protestThe majority of protesters are from the Akron area, according to court documents.
Read more »
Senior Players Championship underway in AkronThe world’s best senior golfers will be taking on Firestone Country Club as the Senior Player’s Championship tees off Thursday morning.
Read more »
Akron woman dies after being hit by gunshot fired across Summit LakeChelsey Jones, 26, was sitting on her couch in her home near Summit Lake when she was fatally wounded, authorities say.
Read more »
New details in Jayland Walker case after combing through 13 Akron Police body cameras19 Investigates worked to match up all 13 video clips by time code, going through it frame by frame.
Read more »