The Channon Christian-Christopher Newsom Murders
National Media Blackout?
What I found wasn't pretty.
In January of 2007, 21 year-old Channon Christian and her boyfriend, 23 year-old Christopher Newsom, were the victims of a horrific crime in Knoxville, Tennessee. During what appears to have started as a carjacking, the criminals decided to abduct the two and set in motion a disturbing series of events.
The suspects allegedly tortured and raped the young woman for several days before killing her. The young man's life ended sooner but his treatment was no less brutal.
The amount of savagery that took place in this case is of such magnitude that bloggers and their readers are asking, "Where's the national media?" What happened to these two young people is right up there with Jeff Dahmer's deeds on the list of wicked things that people have done to each other.
So why isn't the mainstream national media talking about it?
There are different theories as to why this may be so. Some believe that the media places such little value on our intelligence that they think all of us want to know every detail of Anna Nicole's life and death or Britney's latest shenanigans. Others think that the national media outlets are ignorant themselves-- that they just don't realize how interested America is in this case.
Is race a factor?
Still others see a more sinister hand at work. The suspects who have been apprehended for the horrific crime against those two young people are black; the victims were white. Many seem to think that the race of the alleged perpetrators is the issue.
Had the perpetrators been white, and the victims black, they say, the case would be all over the television and newspapers. Many cite the much-publicized dragging death of James Byrd, Jr. as an example.
Also troubling, according to some, is the contrast between the national media coverage of the alleged Duke rape case and this one. Visitors to the blogs I viewed also cited similarities between this case and the Wichita Massacre, a black-on-white rape/torture/murder in 2000, and other little-known cases as proof of a recent history of "blacking out" certain news stories.
There is common ground.
The racial issue is by far the most discussed aspect of this case that I found. Heated exchanges between two groups, one who sees racial discrimination against whites at work and one that doesn't, fill the comments sections on blog entries on the murders.
But there is common ground for these opposing groups. Underlying the tension is a sense of mourning for the senseless loss of these two kids who were so brutally murdered. People from all different backgrounds have come together to agree on one thing: these young people didn't deserve the treatment they were dealt.
America cares about these victims.
One blogger (readthis.wordpress.com) notes that the blog entries on the Channon Christian/Christopher Newsom case has increased the blog's traffic by 400%. A Google search for the victims' names brings up some 15,500 results. Despite the national news media's silence on the case, the people are talking about it.
The bottom line is that America cares about these victims. Their deaths have touched many lives and they are not likely to be forgotten anytime soon. Whatever the reason for the national media's apparent lack of interest, Americans have found a voice with which to express their sympathies and concerns.
Published by Myranda Morgan
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152 Comments
Post a CommentNOTICE THIS DIDNT GET AS MUCH ATTENTION AS THE TREYVON MARTIN CASE BECAUSE GUESS WHAT, THEY ARE WHITE AND THE NAACP WONT BE OUT MARCHING FOR THEM.
Hopeful: Have you ever heard of genes?
Color of skin is just one racial character.
If you truly believe in your tolerant BS then go live among negroes or brownies.
The people who commit such crimes should most certainly face the death penalty and not waste our tax dollars supporting them for the next 40-50 years. Everyone reading about this crimes perfectly knows if this had been 2 black victums and 4 white criminals Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton, and the NAACP would have hit air waves and news outlets crying RACISM and Hate Crimes. But if a white person dares mention race. we're over reacting! Yea, think what you want, the fact still remains if the race was reversed this would have made the evening news everywhere.And you know what maybe we as white people,should except some responsiblity, if we would get out here and cry out against racial crimes being committed against white people, as often as blacks do, maybe we would get more attention on these crimes. What has happen is thatwe have allowed certain people to intimidate us into being quiet, out of fear that we will be called racist for bringing attention to crimes aganst our race.But no mor
I would like to comment that there are hateful blacks that discriminate against everyone even themselves, as well as white people. I grew up in a city where I was scared of black people because of the hate crimes against white people ( a small southern town mainly populated by african americans) even against their own race, but know i know that its the way you were raised, and there are diffrent types of people white, black, yellow, brown, people every where and do not judge the person by the color of their skin but how they treat you and everyone else around you. BUT this story horrifies me. The fact that it has not been metioned in the media, nobody is marching around with pickets signs, nobody is causing riots over this brutal crime ANGERS ME! This is a horrible crime that has been committed no matter what the color of the person's skin The should rot in jain and get that needle injected and die and slow painful death. THEIR DEATHS SHOULD NOT GO IN VAIN!!!
If it were white boys e.g.James Byrd you would be screaming racist. Listen you tell your chillrens about castle laws in most states now. You tell them sticking your hand in another persons home could prove to be fatal.
Humanity isn't so human. We treat each other like trash and justify the murder of one while we cry over the murder of another. ALL humans are worthy of tears and justice.
We can't justify one murder over another. We must admit that history is full of examples of war, racism, sexism, deceit, theft, etc. MAN is often just an animal. Until we evolve from animal to enlightened human, we will continue to bomb, beat, rape, each other and only care if the other person is our color, religion, etc.
What a mean and cruel world. I pray that all victims of rape, racism, war, brutality, torture, find peace and that we will come together in peace before we destroy ourselves and the planet!!!
I am a woman. My color does not make me. Who I am as a person defines me. When I expire this body will return to the earth from which it came and my soul will go on. There are no words to describe the way I felt when reading about what happened to Channon and Christopher. However, one thing is crystal clear...ignorance, stupidity, hatred, etc., etc., comes in all shapes, sizes and colors (Evident by many prior comments).My heart goes out to the families of these people. I hurt along with these families because I empathize with lost. I also cringe for the families of the criminals who did this. Taking color out of the equation...would it have been any less important if the murderers were the same race as the victims. I would hope not. Unfortunately, ignorance is not something you can kill, destroy, or send to another country. My prayer is that justice is swift and a healing comes for all those hurting from this tragedy.
white collar crime...ended up being raped by a lifer, and subsequently murdered. He was to be in for 6 months, that's it, and the first week he was in with a hardened criminal who likes the new *sweet boy* in town. Kill these bastards and get it over with.
Shelly,
Perhaps you didn't hear about the black folks who broke into a womans house, and made the son have intercourse with his mother. They were black (the victims) and there was a HUGE outrage from the media and consequently many *white* viewers over the heinous nature of that "black on black" crime.
White people are outraged at all crime in America in general. I know there is the *occasional* racist who says "let them kill themselves off"; however I am sure there are plenty of blacks who say that about "white on white" crimes.
The real problem here is that there is no such thing as a hate crime, because no murder, rape, theft, etc, is done out of love for the victim. Every crime is a crime of hate, and this one is of the most heinous of natures. Let them all be put to death and rid our nation of a perverse people.
I suppose you would rather them rot in prison though? Tell that to the family of a guy locally to me, who was placed in prison for 6 months for a whit
Black, White or other, this crime was so horrific and animalistic, it made me sick and cry when i heard about it, same here like most of you its sept and i only heard of this crime today on a radio program, and i watch alot of news. These animals should be prosecuted to the fullest , they should never see daylight again, I cannot even for one min believe that a human being could do such a thing to another human being, think of this happening to your daughter or son or maybe YOUR mother God forbid. thanks