Has National Media Ignored Disappearance of Jahessye Shockley Because "She is a Little Black Kid?"

shockley.jpg
Glendale Police Department
Does the national media not care about Jahessye Shockley because she's black?
The disappearance of 5-year-old Jahessye Shockley is now officially a race issue following some comments made by her grandmother, Shirley Johnson, yesterday.

Johnson's upset by the lack of coverage Shockley's disappearance has received in the national media -- all while the disappearance of a missing Kansas City girl, Lisa Irwin, is dominating the cable news networks.

Irwin happens to be a little white girl. Shockley is black, which is why Johnson thinks the national press isn't jumping on the story.

"It is because she is a little black kid," Johnson told reporters yesterday "Arizona is known for this."

Johnson may have a point, but there's a slight problem with her argument: Arizona news outlets are the only ones giving this story any attention at all. In fact, the majority of local news outlets have featured Shockley's disappearance on their websites (with the exception of the Arizona Republic) since she was first reported missing more than a week ago.

Arizona may not have the greatest history when it comes to its racial sensitivity (trying to cancel Martin Luther King Jr. Day certainly didn't help things), but any decision to ignore the disappearance of a black girl is being made by non-Arizonans.

That said, we want to know what you think: is the national media ignoring the disappearance of Jahessye Shockley because she's black?

Cast your vote below.



Like this Story?

Sign up for the Weekly Newsletter: Our weekly feature stories, movie reviews, calendar picks and more - minus the newsprint and sent directly to your inbox.

Privacy Policy

Most Popular Stories

Sign up for free stuff, news info & more!

Tools

General

Browse Voice Nation
  • Voice Places

    Voice Places

    Discover restaurants, nightlife, travel, shopping...

  • VOICE Daily Deals

    VOICE Daily Deals

    Get 50 to 90% off every day on restaurants, movies, massages...

  • Best Of

    Best Of...

    More than 10,000 of the BEST things to eat, drink, and experience

  • My Voice Nation

    My Voice Nation

    Join the Village Voice community and get exclusive deals and info

  • Happy Hour

    Happy Hour

    Your local Happy Hour guide at your fingertips

or

Log in or Sign up

Social Connect:

Use your favorite account to access My Voice Nation.


Use your My Voice Nation account to log in:





Forgot password?
or

Sign Up or Log in

Social Connect:

Sign up for My Voice Nation with your preferred network.


Sign up for a My Voice Nation account:



Privacy policy