If you only watch Fox News, you are probably unaware of the awful tragedy that befell when an unarmed, African American teenager named Trayvon Martin was shot to death by a man in Florida who thought Martin was acting suspiciously as he walked through the neighborhood. The shooter was armed with a 9mm handgun. Martin, on his way home from a convenience store, held a can of iced tea and a bag of Skittles. Martin had no criminal record but the shooter, 28 year-old George Zimmerman, did. Updated
The tragedy is not just the race element - Zimmerman was apparently "fixated on crime and focused on young, black males." But there are also questions of vigilantism and law enforcement. Zimmerman was a neighborhood watch captain where residents felt threatened by crime. Zimmerman has not been arrested and was not tested for drugs or alcohol after Martin was killed. Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law places the threshold for self-defense so low that you need little more than your word to show that your life was in danger.
The story - involving race, crime, self-defense and an innocent teenager - has all the ingredients Fox News normally can't resist. Yet it has been curiously silent.
Think Progress reported today:
Martin has merited coverage by the New York Times, the Washington Post, and USA Today. The story has been covered by all three broadcast networks and extensively on cable. But there is one outlet that has barely mentioned Trayvon Martin — Fox News.
Right now, the top story at Fox Nation shows a photo of a black man over a blaring headline: 'I’m Here Tryin’ to Get Some Obama Bucks!' Shocking Welfare Video that HBO Tried to Kill.
It's hard not to think that race has something to do with Fox's decision to largely ignore the story.
For a more complete rundown of the Trayvon Martin tragedy, check out Think Progress' What Everyone Should Know About Trayvon Martin (1995-2012).
Update: Since I originally posted this, Fox News is playing catch-up...but wait til you read how they spun this tragedy on America Live.
