After reading this, one might ask, where's the media coverage? Where's the outrage? I've certainly asked those questions, myself.

You see, this particular case involves black election officials discriminating against and intimidating white voters and candidates. You can read the complete article HERE.

I have to admit that I had a good deal of difficulty locating an article about this, as it seems to have received almost no media attention at all. In fact, the only reason I know about this is that Michael Graham, a local, conservative talk-show radio host mentioned it on his show. This prompted my arduous search for information; this single article being the only one I was able to locate.

It seems obvious, at least to me, that this sort of activity is wrong, completely regardless of whom is doing it to whom. It's a topic that I don't think is worthwhile for debate. What I do feel is worthy of debate is the following:

Why do you think the media will not cover this case?

Why do you think that those responsible are not being charged criminally for these activities that are blatantly in violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965?

Depends on the media you're talking about. I don't watch TV news so I can't speak to them

The AP covered it.

Here's a report from them via USA Today.


Link

Googled "noxubee elections"

If the law is willing to take this case I see no reason to believe they are somehow afraid to push a criminal case, if they think they can make it stick.

I've not noted it in a single newspaper in my area, nor have I seen so much as a single word from one of the "talking heads" on cable news. If this were discrimination against black voters and candidates, I've little doubt that Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton would be making their rounds on all of the Cable news outlets, and there would be a wild outcry for justice against the perpetrators. Perhaps it is being covered, but where? Perusing USA Today's website, I was unable to find the headline, even when clicking directly on Mississippi on their states' map.

I view this as a problem, personally, which is why I sought to debate the issue. Perhaps there are a few other articles, but this is not receiving anywhere near the amount of media coverage that it should, in my opinion.

If you search google news you could pull up quite a few.... the Guardian in the UK even picked it up. Though mostly it's the Mississippi press.

Should it be more?

Florida was a big deal because of the location (swing state), federal import (presidential elections), and timing (to the wire).

This is a local issue in a small town in Mississippi.

I'd expect a bit more coverage but I always want to hear about scandal, better it come to light than thrive in the dark.

I'll agree that Jackson and Sharpton would pick up on the reverse situation, but only because they are experienced savvy advocates who have been doing this for years and can always count on national attention.


This is a first, this prosecution against black official under the Voting rights Act and really who do you call?

To answer the first question who says the media has not covered this case? Here it is in the June 30th edition of The Washington Post I looked it up on Yahoo! News and came back with three pages of links. Among the other publications that ran articles or a synopsis are The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Akron Beacon-Journal, The Charlotte Observer, The San Jose Mercury News, and numerous televison stations. USA Today ran a story on June 30. MSNBC.com even ran an article about this story as far back as May 2nd, 2007.

It was not a major effort to find a lot of information and opinon about this case. As far as I can see there's no failure of the media to cover this case. There mayhave been a failure on your part, Stefan Fargus to dig deep enough.

As regards your second question, that's an issue you should take up with The Bush Adminstration Justice Department and the Civil Rights Enforcement division. This is the very first time the Justice Department has used the law to investigate allegations of voter discrimination against Whites.

It appears what is going on is the deliberate disenfranchisement of White voters by the Black head of the local Democratic Party. But there is still something odd about even this.

The federal case against Brown, scheduled for trial this fall, represents a change in direction in the use of the Voting Rights Act, says Jon Greenbaum, director of the voting rights project for the Washington-based Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

The law was written to protect racial minorities in the 1960s when Mississippi and other Southern states strictly enforced segregation.

“The main concern we have in the civil rights community isn’t necessarily that that DOJ brought this case,” Greenbaum says. “It’s that the department is not bringing meritorious cases on behalf of African-American and Native American voters.”

Justice Department records show the department’s last voting-rights case alleging discrimination against black voters was filed in 2001. Since then, six cases have been brought on behalf of voters of Hispanic or Asian descent in five states — plus the case involving white voters in Mississippi. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12597671/

The news value of this affair is in its "man bites dog" quality. The fact that it deals with Black officials discriminating (possibly) to keep Whites from voting gives it a novel little twist, but it is not a front page story of national importance. There isn't an established history of Blacks playing games with the voting rights of Whites. It's not an national epidemic. Congress doesn't need to pass a new law. The world as we know it isn't coming to an end.



Neither is the case of Stepha Henry, but I'm not sure it's due to any kind of media blackout.

And I do mean "blackout" in every sense of the word.