Local paper only reports suspects’ race when one of their own is attacked

On Tuesday, The Virginian-Pilot ran a story about two of their own reporters being beaten in a gang attack by “at least 100 young people.”

The mob beating took place two weeks ago at the intersection of Church Street and Brambleton Avenue, an area where violent crime is in fact, a sad fact of life.

The Pilot reported: “Wave after wave of young men surged forward to take turns punching and kicking their victim.

The victim's friend, a young woman, tried to pull him back into his car. Attackers came after her, pulling her hair, punching her head and causing a bloody scratch to the surface of her eye. She called 911. A recording told her all lines were busy. She called again. Busy. On her third try, she got through and, hysterical, could scream only their location.

Church and Brambleton. Church and Brambleton. Church and Brambleton.”

Apparently, the reporters, Dave Forster and Marjon Rostami were stopped at a red light when the mob of 100 teens assaulted them, after first throwing a rock at their car.

Both sustained injuries serious enough to keep them out of work for a week.

Now, while the left-leaning Pilot often reports on violent crime, they rarely, if ever report the race of a suspect, when that suspect is non-white.

However, in this case, Pilot reporter Michelle Washington stated: “Forster and Rostami, both white, suffered a beating at the hands of a crowd of black teenagers.”

In fact, outraged, Washington went on to ask if the beating was in response to the Trayvon Martin case, writing: “Were Forster and Rostami beaten in some kind of warped, vigilante retribution for a killing 750 miles away, a person none of them knew?”

Of course, there have been a series of black-on-white beatings since the Florida teenager was killed by George Zimmerman on February 26, but the Pilot, just as most of the mainstream press have chosen to ignore these attacks…until now.

It would also appear that Pilot readers are not buying the paper’s sudden change of heart when it comes to reporting on what would appear to be racially motivated crimes, in which the victim is white.

A few online responses to the article follow:

Alice Pritchard wrote: “Shame on you, Norfolk and The Pilot. This should have been brought to light years ago. My daughter was promised that the area around her condo would be "cleaned up" and safe. It is far from it. Her car has been broken into numerous times. The windows broken, nothing stolen because she knows better than to leave anything in the car. She would love to get out of Norfolk but can not sell her condo, the word is out about the CRIME in Norfolk. The police have all but blamed her for her car being trashed and would not even take a report. She works hard pays her bills and trys to do the "right thing" in every aspect of her life, and still the criminals run the town. Again, SHAME ON YOU NORFOLK AND THE PILOT. I pray for my daughter's safty every night!”

Patrick M. Kenneally also commented: “This rag did NOT have the decency to print this story for TWO WEEKS???? Why, is it bad for Obama??? This rag should be shut down and the editors thrown in jail. This type of story, especially when it involves your own reporters should have been printed the next day. The police should be ashamed of themselves and a MAJOR investigation as to what that cop was thinking should be conducted. Maybe they should make him a crossing guard, since he obviously does NOT know what he doing with a real crime.”

And, finally, John T. Roberts said: “The Pilot owes readers -- and a national audience, now that Drudge has picked up the incident -- a detailed explanation of why and how it covered up this story.

Given the paper's direct political ties to the Obama administration, the paper has a LOT of 'splaining to do.

(Maurice Jones, former publisher of The Pilot, was appointed deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in March: http://hamptonroads.com/2012/03/senate-confirms-virginianpilot-publisher...)

It certainly serves the administration's purposes to have stories of black-on-white crime suppressed in the wake of recent national interest in the Trayvon Martin story.

In contrast, it is hard to see any benefit The Pilot itself gains from hiding this event, since doing so is clearly a violation of professional ethics.

This from a newspaper that repeatedly pontificates on the need for "more sunshine" in public dealings!”

Read more examples of how the mainstream press refuses to print a suspect's race, even at the risk of public safety.

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