The Washington Post proves again that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
The capital’s paper of record gave readers a story about teens and robberies on Capitol Hill, but doesn’t say what the suspects look like. Readers learn that “[d]escriptions of the assailants in each case were scanty but similar.”
So what are the descriptions? The Post doesn’t elaborate.
We can guess, however, that the “teens” are blacks because news organizations routinely leave race out of stories about crime.
Perhaps the Post ombudsman can explain how this story helps readers, or will help readers identify suspects for police.
Then again, the average Capitol Hill staffer knows, party and ideology and even race regardless, what kind of “teens” they need to watch out for in D.C.
As for commenters on the story, the Post’s “scanty” description doesn’t fool them. They are assuming the “teens” are blacks, and they know why the Post won’t say.
* The DNC is soliciting the police for a description of these fine young men so that they can ensure that they are registered to vote.
* WP is so transparent in it’s misguided struggle to deflect any negative reporting on young men of color in this city behaving badly. If it was an Asian kid and a white kid robbing a citizen…say so. If it’s two black kids…say so, you WP cowards.
* It would be so hard for Wpost to provide a description of the perps.
At least we have learned by your lack of accountability in reporting that the suspects most likely fit the description of others you won’t describe.
Black male, 16-20, left in Minivan.
* It’s open season. People have learnt the benefits of operating in a mob. They probably graduated from mob flashes at the 7-11. They’ll keep graduating into more brazen and heinous acts.
* Lets hope the police pressed for more detail in the description. Do they not need the public’s help in catching these criminals? Perhaps they already know who they are and do not want to alert them. That a person cannot give but vague descriptions of person who assaults them is suspicious.
* Why are you assuming the victims gave vague descriptions? Have you seen the police report? I’m pretty sure it’s this newspaper that is giving vague descriptions. Scratch that……NO DESCRIPTION. By announcing the perps were black is going to alert them? Do you know how stupid that sounds?
* What was the point of this article? I mean there is no description of the perpetrators? How tall are they, ethnicity, age so that other people who live or work in Capitol Hill can be on the look out? I would hate for anyone’s wife or girlfriend to be another victim and these teens whoever they are need to be stopped immediately.
* “Groups of teens???” Why doesn’t the WP have the gonads to call a spade a spade, and report that the criminals were young black thugs?
* Once again the WAPO “editorial board” sets the bar high in aiding the community in preventing crime. The depth of the factual reporting they demand has no peer. Where else would the fact that teens were suspected be divulged so clearly? With this virtually photographic description of the felons can the end of this crime wave be far away?
* Robbed by “teenagers” and “descripstions of the assailants in each case were scanty but similar.” From that I necessarily must conclude that the assailants were blond eskimos and the victims were aged Mongolian women.
