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Who is Writing the History? Baltimore Protest & Freddy Gray

For those who have a stake in the idea that young black men are being gunned down on a regular basis, the world (finally) has video, lots of videos, to prove the injustice.
But what happens when peaceful protests cross the line into violence & property destruction? THAT is what gets people's attention (i.e. front page headlines on the Baltimore Sun).  This article questions who got the report right, and yet it seems like the newspapers and the prevailing stereotypes are the ones who will be writing history.
Using the word "riot" to describe a few isolated incidents is a cue for those who know about the "Race Riots" of 1967, especially those in Detroit.  Note that when sports fans cause destruction, it is only called a "riot" as a joke.

Note how this narrative develops.  It is easier for the headlines to pick up on the stereotypes, and not the groundbreaking events.  2 opposing gangs unite at the protests?  Wha??

Just when the story of #blacklivesmatter seems to reach a tipping point, it gets shoved back into the category of violence.  Just because it makes for a better SHORT TERM story/headline, doesn't mean it is the TRUTH.

Think of the Path of Least Resistance, the editors hew to a "riot" story because it sells more papers.  Sometimes the HARD story, the nuanced story, the TRUE story, is just too hard to tell in a soundbyte.

For those of us working in UX, or concerned about making Social Media a true democracy that gets into the history books, how can it better fight the established media?  Does Twitter need a TV channel?  Do we have to wait for the generation to die off, of those who ONLY watch TV & read papers?  How can we meet in the middle?  How can we create a meritocracy for truth, vs the way the news & histories get told today?

Who determines the truth?

The ones who have the biggest audience? (in what demographic?) Or the ones with the longest staying power? (in paper or in "journalistic integrity"?)

==

Full links here:
http://mic.com/articles/116524/outrage-over-baltimore-riots-completely-misses-the-point

http://www.blackpast.org/aah/detroit-race-riot-1967

http://www.alternet.org/11-stupid-reasons-white-people-have-rioted





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