Ian Blair on Soham and media hysteria with white murders

Former Member · January 2006

turlough wrote:

Stories that have that extra shock dimension like the murderers brother being a football star will give you that extra coverage.

Of course, that wasn't in doubt.

But murders that don't have any shock value get more coverage if the victim is white, middle class and pretty.

I don't especially think the media are overtly racist, but if the police are "institutionally racist", then so are the media. The News International stable especially so.

Former Member · January 2006

morrocan roll wrote:

you need to cut down on the depression.

Former Member · January 2006

Kermit wrote:

the booze ...work ...?

Former Member · January 2006

morrocan roll wrote:

aladdin ...i'm surprised that someone of your intelectual ability can agree with this idiot!
the guy is a fucking liability to your freedom for fucks sake.
and he wasn't right in what he was saying at all.

He is an idiot and a liability to freedom. But in my opinion he was right in what he said and just because he is what he is I'm not going to pretend he didn't had a valid point.

This is what magazines such as Private Eye have been implying for years, and rightly so. I guess the difference is that some people don't see it appropriate that Blair should be saying these things- and they might have a point. But if you lived in London and had access to the appalling Evening Standard, you would understand perfectly well the point he was trying to make.

Former Member · January 2006

It goes both ways, to a degree. I think its better to say the media act in a naive or partially inflammatory fashion when it comes to race and crime. The institutional racism bit I think was a poke at the tabloids who edo have a tendencey to mention it every other week.

Former Member · January 2006

His mistake wasn't the message, but the crime he chose in comparison.

Former Member · January 2006

Aladdin wrote:

So the Met Chief has caused a bit of a storm with his latest comments. He has accused the media of being institutionally racist (a term that won't be alien to the Met Police, incidentally), and of creating a monumental fuss over the Soham murders.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4653130.stm

Well it's not often that I find myself in agreement with Ian Blair, but I think he was spot on.

- The media is obsessed with the murder of white, well-to-do people far more than it is with people of other races/poorer backgrounds (Chelsea banker last year and that lawyer in North London a couple of weeks ago are two shining examples).

- The Soham murders, tragic as they were, became an absolutely appalling and extremely distasteful media wankfest they likes of which we had not seen since the death of the Queen of Hearts.

The only criticism I'd have towards Ian Blair is that he should perhaps have suggested that it was the police itself that sometimes led the way for the press reported crime (i.e. a black man gets murdered and the police automatically concludes it must be black-on-black drug related, as it did with Stephen Lawrence). But other than that, spot on comments.

I see that the tabloid press is up in arms this morning... :rolleyes:

True to an extent. The press also take far less interest in black on white murders then they do white on black, so both white and black people have understandable greviences.

Former Member · January 2006

Spliffie wrote:

The press also take far less interest in black on white murders then they do white on black

No they don't, they love to lap up the image of the murdering black man.

They don't always pin a racial motive when they certainly should, but that's not quite the same thing. Black murderers get far more attention when they murder nice white boys, such as with the lawyer in Willesden.

Ian Blair on Soham and media hysteria with white murders

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