Jena 6: CNN coverage notes…
CNN’s coverage plans regarding Jena 6 for tomorrow…
CNN, which has led broadcast networks in coverage of the “Jena 6,” will originate much of its programming this week from Jena, La., where people from around the nation will gather on Thursday, Sept. 20, for a day of demonstrations.
On Thursday, CNN’s American Morning, CNN Newsroom and Anderson Cooper 360° will carry live reports from Jena on all of the latest developments. At 8 p.m. (ET), CNN will premiere a one-hour documentary, CNN: Special Investigations Unit – Judgment in Jena, an investigation reported by Kyra Phillips examining the complex issues of this case. In addition to Phillips, the network has moved Sean Callebs, Tony Harris, David Mattingly and Susan Roesgen to the town for live reports.
For Judgment in Jena, Phillips reports on racial tensions within the small Louisiana town where whites and blacks have existed in the sort of separate-yet-civil existence typical of many rural Southern towns. Phillips interviews local residents, who have split largely along color lines in their view of the students. She will ride along with radio personality Michael Baisden and protestors on a bus from Alexandria, La., to Jena.
Phillips secured exclusive interviews with District Attorney Reed Walters, who decided to pursue the adult charges for the students, and with family members of the accused. In addition, the investigation includes an interview with the mother of the white student who was beaten, and an interview with U.S. Attorney Donald Washington, who explains the charges against the Jena 6 and why hate crimes charges were not applied against the noose hangers.“The events in Jena have become a national touchstone in race relations,” said Jon Klein, president CNN/U.S., “As we do with all major stories, CNN is mobilizing massive resources to cover this story from every angle.”
Roesgen was among the first national reporters to investigate events surrounding the “Jena 6” – five Jena High School students and a sixth student who were arrested and charged as adults following the beating of a white student. The beating followed a series of incidents that began with nooses being hung from a campus tree. The original charges against some of the Jena 6 included attempted murder, although some of these were later reduced. Viewers can playback video from the network’s early reporting on this coverage at www.CNN.com/video using the keyword “Jena.”
Also on Thursday, Callebs, one of CNN’s New Orleans-based correspondents, will report on Jena’s preparations for the day’s demonstrations for American Morning beginning at 6 a.m. (ET). Harris will join Callebs at 9 a.m. and co-anchor the morning CNN Newsroom broadcast from Jena. Roesgen will continue coverage from various locations for CNN’s afternoon and evening broadcasts. Mattingly will contribute live reports from Jena for Anderson Cooper 360°.
CNN.com Live will carry all reports throughout the day of the key events.
This week’s extensive coverage is the culmination of CNN’s continuous investigative reporting on these events over the last few months. In July, Roesgen updated her original reporting with the felony sentencing of Mychal Bell of the Jena 6. To view this report, please visit: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2007/07/01/roesgen.la.jena.6.update.affl.
To view Roesgen’s report on Bell’s overturned conviction, please visit: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2007/09/14/jenna.six.overturned.cnn.
On Sunday, Sept. 16, CNN’s Suzanne Malveaux interviewed Bernice King and Martin King III on what the case may indicate about the state of modern race relations. For video of this interview, please visit www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2007/09/17/nr.king.intv.CNN.
David Fitzpatrick is the senior executive producer and Steve Robinson is managing editor for Judgment in Jena. Mark Nelson is the vice president and senior executive producer of CNN Productions. Jody Gottlieb is the executive director of CNN Productions.
The media has been slow to pick up on this case, but AC360/CNN did get there relatively early in the game to cover it, to their credit.
Comment by Marty — September 19, 2007 @ 7:00 pm
Very slow. I heard about this a while back. Amy Goodman of Democracy Now had the parents on her show a few months ago. Good one on Mr. Cooper and CNN for giving it more exposure.
Comment by Keyser Soze — September 19, 2007 @ 7:20 pm
With any luck the Race-baiters can make a mountain out of a mole-hill and “Iman” a town in the south “
Comment by mike — September 19, 2007 @ 9:09 pm
They want to make this the new Selma which is just outrageous..I mean these kids did beat the crap out of the other one so their hardly innocent little darlings.
Comment by mlong — September 19, 2007 @ 10:41 pm
#3, I live in Baton Rouge, LA and am a white, Republican, conservative; I can tell you that North LA has a particulary bad reputation for difficulties and attitudes related to race. (of course, South LA is not a paragon of racial peace and harmony) This situation is what it is IMHO because of the poor leadership of school officials and town leaders. Earlier, one writer that covers the La. political scene noted that a group of white students that got into a bad fight at school similar to this one would probably not have been charged to the extent that these young men were. I don’t like Jackson and Sharpton either but the planned events are giving people a chance to express their anger and frustration about the current situation.
Comment by Scott — September 20, 2007 @ 1:54 am
I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW WHERE YOU ARE WHEN; IT IS 6
WHITE KID’S ON A BLACK'’ NO WHERE COULD YOU BE FOUND’ IT TAKE’S REV’ SHARPTON TO GET YOU MOVING; WHY
WOULD IT TAKE’S 6 OF THE BAD-BOY’S TO GET ON ONE’
IF YOU CANT STICK UP FOR WHITE AND BLACK’ THEN GET
OFF THE AIR'’
Comment by CHARLIE SNEED — September 20, 2007 @ 10:36 am
Charlie Sneed,
Huh?
Comment by Cella — September 20, 2007 @ 10:48 am
People wonder why most people have something against FOXNEWS. Why is FOX not covering the rally in Jena? If it’s an OJ story they will be on it all day. Do they have something against black people? Or is it that the old people that watch foxnews are still stock in there 50’s and 60s why when they were young teens (during segregation)? CNN and MSNBC are covering it but fox is not. I know people are going to be mad at me for saying this, but it’s true.
Comment by chi — September 20, 2007 @ 11:45 am
Kiera Phillips is having an orgasm covering this..”Yaaaay yaaay this is just like the sixties”..The tree has been cut down and the charges have been reduced..Justice has returned..Stop the instigating, CNN!
Comment by A.M. — September 20, 2007 @ 11:46 am
Why should FOX cover a Get out The Black Vote For 08?
Comment by mike — September 20, 2007 @ 12:31 pm
Race hustlers assemble! CNN will drive this issue into the ground, especially since the network is so obsessed with race. It is especially juicy to them since they get to castigate white Southerners.
Comment by spiffo — September 20, 2007 @ 12:55 pm
THIS, THE LEGACY OF A BLACK MAN IN WHITE AMERICA !
Comment by IRIS GRADY — September 20, 2007 @ 12:55 pm
chi… most people having something against FOX? I guess that’s why the audience is so large… people watching, people watching because… um… uh… they hate it. Yeah… that makes sense.
Unfortunately, I haven’t been around much this past week to watch the coverage… so it’s hard for me to dispute your claim against FNC not actually covering it. Good thing they didn’t put it up on their home page. I mean, this is a big story and it should be… Oh wait… there it is. Third story from the top.
Well, if they were really covering it, they should have at least had a “watch it live” link as part of the story, so you could see the coverage… Oh, oops again. They have one of those too. Darn.
http://www.geocities.com/imnotblueonline/
Guess you’ll have to come up with another tale about FOX… perhaps one that won’t be so easily refuted.
Comment by ImNotBlue — September 20, 2007 @ 12:56 pm
I definitely wouldn’t call those boys angels,but to have charged them with attempted murder is more than excessive imo. I understand that the charges have been reduced, but what would have happened if there wasn’t a public outcry? There’s no doubt that the six young men should face some kind of punishment, but 20 to 50 years in jail for a school yard fight is way beyond what I feel it should be. I’m no fan of Rev Sharpton or Jackson, but I’m with them on this one. I’m also glad that CNN is covering it, and allowing both sides of the story to be heard.
ImNotBlue, thanks for the info. I don’t have any classes today, so I’ve been able to watch Fox on and off since 6 a.m.(central time), and I haven’t seen any television coverage of it yet. It was disappointing, but I’m glad to see that they are at least covering it online.
Comment by Lark22 — September 20, 2007 @ 1:32 pm
In an election year you would think this would be the biggest news story Racism in America the disparity of justice between Black/White Youth in 2007. When did a simple school yard fight become an Adult Murder Case? Also people are missing why this all began. Black students were not allowed to sit under a tree?! While we have Duke players suing for 31 million dollars for a missed semester we have Black youth lining the walls of jails with missed years of education for crimes they might or might not have committed
Comment by Concerned Citizen — September 20, 2007 @ 1:40 pm
:42 minutes in, and the Live Desk is covering it now. My problem is, the only reason they seem to have brought it up was because of the stupid comment Jesse Jackson made about Barack Obama. I guess something is better than nothing though.
Comment by Lark22 — September 20, 2007 @ 1:48 pm
Jesse didn’t show up on the Live Desk! LOL, probably never intended to..Yokes on Martha! Chicken’s on Jesse.
Comment by A.M. — September 20, 2007 @ 2:10 pm
These type of situations that are happening all over the world some different color variations with different outcome, I guess it is pass the time for somthing to be done about it.
As for FOX News; This channel puts a man on television to speak on crime in Baltimore, which he was the Commissioner himself of the police department, which he stole money, not a little bit of money but a lot. (a felony)
Comment by Mike — September 20, 2007 @ 2:51 pm
I just read the transcripted interview Kiran held w/Jesse this morning…Good going, Kiran! You and Shep are still
my favorites!
Comment by A.M. — September 20, 2007 @ 2:54 pm
” Also people are missing why this all began. Black students were not allowed to sit under a tree?!”
I don’t think they’ve proven any connection between the two incidences..I could be wrong though, have they?
Comment by A.M. — September 20, 2007 @ 3:31 pm
A.M.-Yeah, good ole Shep and Kiran. If you like liberal anchors, I guess I can understand your preference.
Cnn loves race bait. Is there racism going on in this country? Of course, always has been and always will be, and all races have fallen victim to it at one time or another. What Cnn is doing is covering the story with the intention of whipping people up into a frenzy, to shine a light on big bad whitey, and how blacks are always the victims and never the perpetrators. There’s more than enough blame to go around here, but that’s not the way Cnn or the rest of the media is portraying it.
Comment by california dreamin — September 20, 2007 @ 3:43 pm
I never caught Kiran or Shep showing any bias whatsoever..I have no idea which way they lean or even if they do..They conduct great interviews imo, asking all questions I want answered.
LOL, Shep just said how the marches in Jena are now moving across the country; showing a group of maybe 20-25 students or so, who’ve walked out of school!: They had an aerial view of them.
Comment by A.M. — September 20, 2007 @ 3:59 pm
Cali, ditto on your CNN assessment. As with most liberals, they are utterly obsessed with race. How they must pine for the glory days of the 60’s.
Comment by spiffo — September 20, 2007 @ 4:12 pm
spiffo, I’m not saying that racial problems don’t exist in America. As long as there is sin, there will be racial discrimination, just as there will be hundreds of other injustices. But I think the news media, and Cnn in particular on this, likes to portay this as a mindset that has gripped the majority of whites and southerners. The media seems that they feel an obligation to always portray blacks as victims. No matter what the circumstance, blacks are the ones who get the shaft, and whites are to blame. Maybe they feel that if they do cast any responsibility on blacks, they will be termed a racist. Just like people who don’t like illegal immigration are painted as bigots and racists. Our media feeds on controversy and strife. And when this happens, it’s a big payday for Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton.
Comment by california dreamin — September 20, 2007 @ 5:12 pm
No matter what your race is, the courts are suppose to be blind and balance. There is no way that if you stripped the skin from all parties involved that you consider this “justice for all”. Slavery is a sensitive subject for both races. African-Americans do not go around burning KKK clothing so why in 2007 should White-Americans continue to hang nooses and burn crosses. It is my opinion that the “greenback” runs this country. There all races distributed equally in all class categories. At the end of the day, we are all just trying to survive. Personally I respect those who in turn respect me. You don’t have to be my best bud but respect the fact that I am a person with the same feeling and emotions as any other race or class of people. Frankly I don’t care if a station cover the story or not, Just that the judges and prosecutors involved (”with the stroke of their pen”!!!??? realize enough is enough and that maybe their mind set is to antique for the direction that we should be going in. Thanks for allowing my voice since I was unable to attend the rally. PEACE & LOVE
Comment by Ms. Jackson — September 20, 2007 @ 7:08 pm
Ms. Jackson, With all due respect, don’t you think OJ Simpson has had much better luck with the legal system than some poor white dude who cannot afford the great legal team that the did? I think justice in this country has much more to do with affluence and money than it does race. Any black businessman, celebrity or sports star is going to get much better treatment in the legal system than myself, a white female who earns less than $25,000 a year. It’s all about money, not skin color. There are lots of us whites out here who aren’t living in mansions and driving mercedes. And one more thing…..we don’t have the large civil rights groups to go to bat for us…..No NAACP, Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton. When a white person tries to claim that someone violated their civil rights, they get shrugs and chuckles. I’ve always felt that if you’re white and have no money you are in a worse position than a black person with no money. Their aren’t as many agencies that are as eager to help us. Sorry for my bluntness, but it’s how I see it.
Comment by california dreamin — September 20, 2007 @ 8:18 pm
OUtstanding journalism. You caught the big picture complete. You did not report merely the emotional reactions, but instead, laid out what happened and when. I was especially proud of the U.S. Deputy Attorney. He gave the whole matter perspective. He cited the provocation of the nooses hung and the seething rage that resulted, and suggested more might have been done to resolve this budding adolescent conflict. He then reminded the audience of the more significant severity of being beaten unconscious and kicked in the head, and of the prior assaults and batteries by at least one of them, and suggested a more severe reaction was warranted. But, the point is, you reported it. Nice going.
Comment by Larry Thelen — September 21, 2007 @ 11:49 am
Six guys beating on one guy is not a fight. It’s six thugs comitting a felony assault.
Comment by John — September 21, 2007 @ 12:07 pm
CNN can no longer be considered Fair and Impartial. Talk about Bigots and Racists, promoting Jackson and Sharpton is promoting racists and bigotry.
Comment by John — September 21, 2007 @ 12:09 pm
I commend CNN and Kara Phillips on your outstanding piece entitled “Judgment in Jena”. Broadcasts, like on ABC and others covering the Jena 6 issues only fueled racism and painted a picture to infer that African Americans were upset just about Black and White Students fighting in a High School. Without including any of the particulars surrounding the Jena 6 Case other broadcasters did more harm than good as to how the viewing public first perceived this Jena 6 Case. I felt outraged and deceived by the first types of coverage’s being conducted by the other large news media’s, like there was an intentional alternative agenda behind the way it was being portrayed by the media.
Your piece “Judgment in Jena” is the way an investigative report is suppose to be conducted. You started your report at the beginning of this Jena Case and stepped us right thru all the major issues that were not being covered on the other mainstream TV news reports, including the very smart, very bigoted Jena District Attorney Reed Walters.
Thank you,
You have restored my faith in the News Media …. Well just CNN, anyway!
Comment by Charles Armstrong — September 21, 2007 @ 1:01 pm
It appears to me that Louisiana Law is not being enforced in Jena, LA. One side is being over charged, convicted, jailed and denied bail; while the other side is effecting “Hate Crimes” against the American Society. Both the USA and Louisiana have “Hate Crime” laws in affect. Why have the laws not been enforced? Why do the residence of Jena, LA persist to not enforce the “Laws of Louisiana” equaly?
LAWS OF LOUISIANA ON HATE CRIMES:
La. R.S. 40:2403
Provides for the establishment and implementation of curricula and training materials to train peace officers to identify, respond to, and report all crimes “which are directed against individuals or groups, or their property, by reason of their actual or perceived race, age, gender, religion, color, creed, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, or ancestry.”
La. R.S. 15:1204.5
Provides for the imposition of penalties on agencies who fail to comply with data reporting requirements.
La. R.S. 15:1204.4
Provides for annual study and publication of data relating to hate crimes.
La. R.S. 15:1204.2
Mandates the reporting of data regarding crimes directed against individuals or groups, or their property, “by reason of their actual or perceived race, age, gender, religion, color, creed, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, or ancestry.”
La. R.S. 14:225
Criminalizes knowingly vandalizing, defacing, or otherwise damaging places used for religious worship, schools, or community centers.
La. R.S. 14:107.2
Increase penalties for offenders who select victims based on “actual or perceived race, age, gender, religion, color, creed, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, or ancestry.”
Louisiana is becoming the new Mississippi. Shotguns, noose, intimidation, threats and the selective enforcement of laws to intimidate.
Attorney General of Louisiana -Now is the time to recall or impeach the DA of Jena, LA.
Comment by C NINJA — September 22, 2007 @ 12:13 pm
I agree that deep seeded racial ideals are difficult to see by the racist themselves. Picture a black person who has been taught the history of their ancestors which included pictures of black men hanging from trees by ropes while white families picnic, laughing and pointing at the bodies. This form of “entertainment” was a very real and hurtful part of the very recent past. Is seeing ropes hanging from a tree in front of your school not supposed to evoke some sort of negative reaction? This in 2007 no less! Come on people, wake up! This hurtful and common occurrence was more than a adolescent prank. It was at the very least a provocation and a slap in the face. It was also something that should not have happened, and should not have been ignored by the adults in that school who knew of it. Those black children should have been protected by the school administrators before the situation escalated into feelings of rage, desperation and taking matters into their own hands. Was the fight wrong? Yes. Was it understandable or justified? Yes. Have black kids been involved in fights with white kids and been beaten, but no one was arrested? Yes! Maybe race relations, or cultural diversity should be added to the curriculum or to the teachers/administrators training in the school system there.
Comment by Renee Shaw — September 22, 2007 @ 8:09 pm
I feel that when George W Bush went in the White House he bought racism in there. When Bush was Governor of Texas white people felt that they can drag a Black man down the street on the back of a pick-up. This is why our young Black people need to wake-up and see what’s really going on and get out and vote in 08.
Comment by V Rodgers — September 28, 2007 @ 2:31 pm