The NewYork Post and their Black People Problem
Let me say it clearly- the NewYork Post is biased against its reporting on black people. I am not a US resident, I have read The Post for 2 years now and I am firm in my belief in my claim.
READ: The 50/50 Relationship Myth
Now can I go further?
I have never cared for the news. I really keep away from news because every other news app seems to think that screaming bloody murder, inflation, celebrity drama and disasters are how people want to be entertained but, maybe it is what sells. Who am I to judge?
Two years ago, I got an LG Wing 2 years ago and The NewYork Post app came preinstalled. I did not like that but, I could ignore it, right? Maybe not. Every now and then, like many mortals who give into temptation, I find myself browsing the app.
The app’s bias against black people was actually brought to my attention by their coverage of murders to/against blacks versus their coverage of murders to/against white folks.
Allow me elaborate with the most recent murder of Takeoff, the third half of the Migos music group.
Honestly, I don’t personally know a Migos song (yes, judge me) but I am aware of the group as a popular music trio and have made headlines from time to time. So, Takeoff, a member of a group so popular that at the time of his death, was worth $26million was murdered in cold blood.
Let me take you through how I learned about his death on The NewYork Post app. I am in West Africa by the way so, my time (and if the app ever responds tries to claim otherwise, this )should be noted:
So, I went to bed 31st october after browsing the app at night, and about afternoon on November 1, I checked the app again and the second or third news article made mention of the murder of Takeoff. I wanted to pass by because first, I am not a fan and secondly, I mean, if something that tragic had happened to someone in a group like Migos, surely, they had to at least, keep him as the lead news on the app for a while before dropping him to the second or third news, right? Right?
I had noted The NewYork Post’s bias against black people reporting and that made me want to verify the death of Takeoff.
Sure enough- guy had been murdered.
Really? Really? Really guys???? Even Takeoff!!!! I was so furious. The next day…guys, the next day, the other news about Takeoff from The NewYork Post app was about Takeoff facing a suit for rape.
Wait a minute…just wait a minute…
You mean it can be November 2022, the New York Post can tell me the new breaks in the death of Jon Benet but I still don’t know if Takeoff had a brother or a sister. Well, we are consoled because they got to take pictures of Drake and Bieber and Cardi B at his funeral. How generous of them.
Let us go to Orsolya Gaal. Now, forgive me if anyone gets offended right now but I will make my case.
Orsolya Gaal. Who is she? I did not know either but browsing the same The NewYork Post was this gorgeous woman who had been stabbed to death by David Bonola an illegal in the country, a former affair partner of Orsolya Gaal. He had stabbed her over 50 times, had stuffed her in a box and disposed of her on the side of the road. Her husband and son were initially detained but released.
Before Orsolya Gaal’s, death, I am sure (?), The NewYork Post did not know the woman just like I didn’t. But, this beautiful white woman is slain and the app made her lead news for over FIVE DAYS if not more, UNTIL her murderer was caught.
Has the murder of Takeoff been solved? Exactly.
Now, why do I know more about the private life of Orsolya Gaal’s than about the public life of Takeoff?
Is this fair to anyone? Is this right to your senses?
If it is, make it make sense to me.
Now, can we turn our attention to the untimely demise of Aaron Carter. As a West African dweller, I must confess that I DID NOT KNOW THIS GUY: was a musician, child star, brother to Nick Carter, only fan content creator, dated Hilary duff and Lindsay Lohan, the love triangle, had a child named Prince Lyric, a fiance, wanted to work to improve himself to get back with Hilary Duff(also, how she felt about that), struggled with substance abuse, was 35 years old, had a twin sister, had a sister that died, accused sister of incest, was estranged from his family, had a restraining order from his family, died in his bathtub, had air cans around when he died, had a housekeeper who refused to let in neighbours with defibrillator, had a fiance that called the police to help her move out…
Wait, hold on… I can now write a whole book on the late Aaron Carter thanks to The NewYork Post but I still do not know if Takeoff had a sister, a brother, haven’t read a single family statement from his family and yet, I DID NOT KNOW THIS Aaron Carter guy before his death.
Talk to me again about balanced reporting.
Gabby Petito. Gorgeous white woman, strangled to death by her boyfriend Brian Laundrie.
Guys, well…we all know that this was national news and on The NewYork Post lead cover on the app, day after day after day after day until…its resolution oh wait- no, I have now been updated that Gabby Petito’s family filed a lawsuit against the police. I am still eagerly waiting on The NewYork Post to update me on all the settlement details and every other detail that I did not know I needed to know about that tragedy.
Guys, do you know about Misarach Ewunetie the 20 year old Princeton student who went missing for 6 days before she was found dead? I do not imagine that 20 year old healthy adults just up and die in a secluded area but, why will The NewYork Post bother more when she has been found- dead?
Do you know about Yusef Staine 20, who was shot in the back of the head by the person he was traveling with? Whatever happened about that? I don’t know. He is a black man so, why will I ever find out? The NewYork Post just used this man’s murder for shock effect and after that, he was thrown into the pits and I had to dig all the way to the Daily Mail to even learn that 2 people were arrested for the murder. If anything came out of that, who knows but yeah, sure.
Did Yusef Staine have a brother? Sister? Anyone who cared that he was gunned down so shockingly? Because in the Daily Mail’s reporting, hidden somewhere in the last lines of the arrest of two for his murder, we were made aware that his death was not gang-related. So… maybe that was the problem for the daily post. There were no statistics to plug him into.
If The NewYork Post was just biased against black reporting, we could educate them but they know what they are doing. To make their political statements against Kathy Hochul, they started pushing (not as lead) but the deaths of black people. I don’t live in New York and I hope their crime problem gets better resolutions but, if they could talk about Keaira Bennefield’s death as a failing of Kathy Hochul’s bail reform problem, they can have the decency to give prominence to the deaths of black people. They use black people’s deaths for shock news value, political statements, statistics otherwise, they are not equally people to the folks at the New York Post.
Let me say it again, it seems that no matter the height the black (wo)man attains, if their death does not serve a shock value, cannot be noted under some statistic or if there is no political statement it can serve, the sooner we move the death lower than The NewYork Post news app, the faster they can get to other news. In contrast, no matter the ordinariness of a white (wo)man’s death, if there is a way to sensationalize it to make the world care, The NewYork Post will.
Except Medium cancels me, my intention with this article is not to provoke anyone or undermine the resolution closure has brought to any race. My intention with this article is to vent my annoyance at the clear bias I see. I am not one to easily scream ‘conspiracy’ but...
For the longest time, I thought the news was gospel. I am now seeing that the news have humans making them and their biases, agendas and propagandas seep into what they feed the masses.
I will continue to keep the New York Post app on my phone not because I think they will do better but because, if not for them, I would not be a times angry at the world and a times, amused at the world.
Hi there.
My name is Adaobi Okwy and I look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you.