South Fulton Councilman Raises Possible Media Bias Against African-Americans
The following is a letter to the editor from South Fulton Councilman Khalid Kamau:
On Tuesday, April 18, residents of South Fulton elected a mayor and city council. Georgia’s newest municipality is also the state’s largest in 100 years – over 100,000 people and 107 square miles; just 25 square miles smaller than our state’s capital. In just five months, through a special election and runoff, residents sifted through a field of over 70 candidates to select its seven council members and a mayor.
You may have missed this event entirely if you do not subscribe to the South Fulton Neighbor or some social media group that follows South Fulton. With the exception of 11Alive’s news story on my campaign – the result of me badgering every reporter in my phone book – local television news did not report the new city of South Fulton, declining invitations to over 30 town halls and forums held in the last three months alone.
Yet when a toddler was shot in a drive-by shooting in South Fulton’s Pointer Ridge subdivision just two nights after our election, reporters from WSB 2, CBS 46 and Fox5 all came to South Fulton and stayed for hours covering the story.
Anyone watching local news would think South Fulton suffered the highest crime rate in Atlanta. And they would be wrong. That distinction belongs to Buckhead.
However, like the southside of many American cities, the percentage of black and brown residents in South Fulton is far higher than Atlanta’s northside or the producing staff of any of Atlanta’s newsrooms.
The implicit bias of those who “produce” news stories about African-Americans is a well-documented fact. This stereotyping does more than hurt our feelings – it hurts our property values and it hurts our ability to attract employers, new residents and entertainment venues.
The new city of South Fulton is a historic event and a newsworthy one, as evidenced by national coverage from The Nation and The Huffington Post.
If Atlanta’s major news outlets cannot learn to paint a full picture our South Fulton’s humanity, we will be forced to teach them, by creating media outlets of our own and boycotting those only interested in showing us at our worst.
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he kind of has a point…
When was the last time a toddler was shot in a drive-by in Buckhead? And they only put him in HuffPo because he was a Bernie supporter.
What’s your point?
“Anyone watching local news would think South Fulton suffered the highest crime rate in Atlanta. And they would be wrong. That distinction belongs to Buckhead.”
Well of course. Go where the money is at….duh.
The story is about media coverage, not the psychological motivations of the criminals.
Khalid Kamau is a good man with a clear eye on what South Fulton needs to thrive; to be like the parasite cities of Dunwoody, Milton, Sandy Springs, Chamblee, etc.
I contributed to his campaign and like him personally. He, like me, was a national Delegate for Bernie Sanders. But unlike me, he was motivated to run for office. And he ran a classic campaign, winning handily. I supported his campaign and publicly endorsed him. He is also one of the founders of BLM ATL. He is an unabashed Bernie Progressive.
And he has a very valid point. What will Fox 5 do when no one will talk to them about a crime in South Fulton? Make stuff up?
Khalid Kamau is the future of Georgia politics, and there already other Sander’s delegates gearing up to run races, with a national backing.
So you all better start getting used to ‘others’ like Khalid elbowing their way to the Big Table with the Big Boys. Soon, very soon.