ColorofChange: Media Have Contributed to Deadly Climate

Colorofchange.org is taking the media to task in advance for coverage of the Ferguson grand jury decision, saying the media has contributed to a hostile climate that has led to the death of Michael Brown and others. Brown was the unarmed teen shot by a Ferguson, Mo., policeman.

In an email to reporters Monday, the civil rights group said it was calling for "fair and honest" media coverage, which it suggested African Americans had not been getting.

"Recognition of the dangers posed by a hostile media climate for Black people is crucial at this very important juncture in our nation’s history," the email said.

It suggested that the Ferguson protestors were only exercising their constitutional rights and that the media should help protect those, "rather than contribute to a racist drumbeat against them."

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John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.