Ferguson discussed by students, journalists, professors and police
September 12, 2014
By Anne Halliwell
[email protected]
Social media contributed to the controversy in Ferguson over the summer as it allowed spectators immediate access to the emotion and imagery on the streets of Missouri, concluded a panel of UK students, Lexington police force members, journalists and UK professors in the Student Center Monday night.
The UK chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists held the panel to talk about the events in Ferguson, citizen and police responses and the role of the media from 6 – 7:30 p.m. in Worsham Theater.
After the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, people of all ethnicities and backgrounds began to protest against injustice in the U.S., said Anyssa Roberts, president of the UKNABJ and panel moderator.
The panel discussed police and elected officials’ conduct in Ferguson and coverage. The floor was opened to student questions for the last few minutes of discussion.
“Twitter allowed people who weren’t journalists — activists — to become journalists,” said Herald-Leader reporter Justin Madden. “Those who were there, on the ground, those were who controlled the narrative.”
Social media played a huge role in raising awareness of the consequent civil uprising in Ferguson, as most media took two days to respond to the growing conflict.
Journalism and multimedia professor Kakie Urch said she watched local coverage of the event unfold on social media for two days before news stations started to cover the issue in earnest.
“There were so many stories and so many misconceptions,” said ISC senior Dominique Webster. “(But) it was even more powerful to see it being carried out and people spreading the word … It kind of put pressure on the media to keep getting it out there.”
Lexington police registered the emotion behind the coverage first, said assistant chief Lawrence Weathers. “It’s not like it hasn’t happened before … Twitter — social media — just made it instantaneous.”
The Ferguson’s police department reacted didn’t seem to make a connection with Brown’s family, Lawrence said.
“I understand that there are some things we can’t talk about, but you’ve got to reach out,” Weathers said.
The focus directed on police departments immediately following the incidents felt prejudicial, Lexington Police Department information officer Sherelle Roberts said, like they were being judged based on other departments’ actions.
Lexington has had similar incidents, Weathers admitted, but they have gained insight from those encounters. Ferguson forced the police department to admit that it can happen again, he said, and make changes to how they can respond.
Broadcast journalism professor Mel Coffee said he was less upset about the actual events in Ferguson than the media coverage.
“They said in the early protests, ‘We want justice,’” Coffee said. “That was the story. No one looked at that.”
The arrests of journalists in covering the unrest inflamed the media, Coffee said, and led some members of the media to shift their focus away from the real story.
English professor and Kentucky poet laureate Frank X Walker called for greater participation of African-American students in campus and community events, pointing out that the auditorium was less than half-full.
“When you walk across campus and black students don’t speak to each other … and are afraid to take an African studies course, something’s wrong,” Walker said. “You’re not disconnected from Ferguson. It’s not part of another world.”
Broadcast journalism freshman Destiny Witherspoon raised the question of whether some protesters’ behavior, like breaking windows, that was reported by the media played into stereotyping.
“I think that it was a good discussion to have because I felt like the issue was dying and I’m glad someone brought it back,” Witherspoon said.
Agriculture biotechnology freshman Kayla Hurt said she had seen coverage on social media but hadn’t felt informed until the panel.
“I feel like we need people to go out and do the hard work,” Hurt said. “We can’t just say we need to go out, we need to do it.”
Madden said the problems addressed in Ferguson needed to remain in the public’s mind.
“We have got to get out of the idea that it’s a black problem,” Madden said. “It’s a human issue.”
