Spitzer vs. Davis

I was just thinking about how the news media responded the day we found out former Governor Eliot Spitzer was allegedly paying to have sex with a prostitute. In the ensuing hours, days, and week, reporters were turning over every stone to find people who were even remotely connected to the story. News teams brainstormed to come up with every possible angle. Thousands upon thousands of articles were published or broadcast. Every new detail became a headline, no matter how small.

There was not much stone turning going on last week, when Daniel Davis was murdered.

True, he was not a wealthy governor. He was a 16 year old black male who probably never even dreamed of becoming a leader.

True, he was not Number 9. Daniel was Number 12. Eleven other black teenage males have been killed in Rochester over the past 18 months. They got in with the wrong crowds, stopped going to school, and died. Their mothers and grandmothers grieve.

Young black male murdered. No, Daniel's story was not unique. It has been told, with a different name and photo, over and over.

Politician involved in sex scandal. No, Eliot's story was not unique. It has been told, with a different name and photo, over and over.

But out of the two stories, which one matters more to you? Did reporters turn over all the right stones?