Jena 6

As a journalist and writer, I have yet to cover stories that compare to this level of controversy. I think the story has been well covered. However, in one story, a resident of Jena made the point that the town is being pegged as racist. Although the media did not intentionally do this, I think that's what the public has pulled from it, and it is the public who has created the notion of Jena being a racist town. Yes, from the events with this case, Jena will more than likely always be associated with racism. However, it is the publics choice and responsibility to form their own educated opinion of the town. Although the news is supposed to be unbiased, this doesn't mean that the reader will be. Every reader has their own preconceived notions about certain subjects, so when they read a story or view a newscast, each person takes away something different from the story based on their prior thoughts on the subject and their personal beliefs. So, in closing, I think the biased opinions formed from the media coverage has a strong correlation with the prior views and thoughts in the mind of their audience.