Fresno Famous

The latest media meta discussion hasn't quite reached the Fresno Bee. From An AP story:

"To be blunt, blond white chicks who go missing get covered and poor, black, Hispanic or other people of color who go missing do not get covered," said Tom Rosenstiel, director of the Washington-based Project for Excellence in Journalism.

What about suicides? Look at the excellent special report the Bee published in 2002 about a rash of Hmong suicides that left 8 dead. Compare it to the E! True Hollywood Story they've published for Brittany Benov. It took 8 Hmong suicides for a multi-media presentation, but just one troubled former star of local TV commercials.

Today's final installment mentions Brittany's mental illness. It's shocking that a parent would consent to this sort of coverage for their deceaseded child, and it's disappointing that a news organization would run with it whole hog.

I hope this isn't part of the paper's strategy for attracting younger readers...