The New York Times reports on the Rodney King case present a story to the paper's audience. Here is my interpretation of the story told by five different articles.
March 10: An investigation began into the beating of a 25 year old black motorist by three white police officers as 15 other officers, including a sergeant looked on. A videotape shot by an amateur photographer, which has been broadcast all over the nation, captured the 56 kicks, stomps and hits to King's person as he lay on the ground offering no resistance. His doctor has said some of the extensive injuries may be permanent and his lawyer stated the beating will do severe damage to King's emotional stability. The police said that King resisted arrest after a high speed freeway chase at which point King reached 115 mph in his car. However, King denies both charges and the director of public relations at Hyundai Moto America says the car cannot top 100 mph. Many people believe the beating to be an example of racism and excessive aggression in the LAPD.
April 3: Disputes between the Mayor and the Police Chief have surfaced as tensions continue to rise in the aftermath of the Rodney King beating. After initially reserving judgment, Mayor Bradley is now calling for the resignation of Chief Gates because he can no longer count on the Chief to do what is best for the city. In his briefing room, the Mayor said the Chief is taking the investigation as a personal attack rather than an opportunity to improve his department. Though the Chief still enjoys a large following of supporters, many minority and justice oriented groups have asked for the Chief's resignation since the incident last month, saying the healing process cannot begin until there is a new Chief. However, a representative from the police union has said opening up the position would cause even more chaos in this difficult time and that the accusations of the Mayor are unfair and are a result of personal feelings.
June 7: Confidential reports released today illustrate the latest Rodney King run-in with the LAPD. Reports had previously indicated that King was suspected of trying to run over an undercover police officer with his car after officers found him with a transvestite prostitute, but new reports say he fled from undercover cops because he was paranoid they were trying to kill him rather than trying to flee arrest. King walked with a cane and appeared panicked. His lawyer believes this to be the latest of an ongoing attempt by police officers to incriminate King so he will lose credibility, an accusation the police department vehemently denies.
June 12: Judge Bernard Kamins ruled that past racist comments by police officers involved in the Rodney King beating may be used as evidence in the upcoming trial because he believes race played an important role in this incident. At the hearing, the judge also said that it is only fair to use information from the officers's past since the defense will be using information about King's past in the trial. The hearing also marked the first time King had face-to-face contact with the officers in question and the first time King met with Judge Kamins, who seemed sympathetic about King's medical condition and emotional state. Kamins has begun a jury selection process, as the trial will begin on June 19.
July 10: An independent commission released today came back with a harsh judgment of the LAPD. The commission reports extensive internal issues including promotion of minority officers, prevalent racism among officers, falsified police reports, ignored complaints dealing with racism, sexism and excessive force and little to no enforcement of punishments against officers. The commission calls for major reorganization within the department, including the resignation of Police Chief Gates and the Police Commission. The Mayor supported the findings of the commission and called for their suggestions to become enacted immediately. Chief Gates acknowledged the weaknesses highlighted but said they were limited to a small percentage of the force and refused to resign until the change in the City Charter limiting the chief term to 10 years is approved.
This assignment made me consider that even a newspaper as reputable as The New York Times is sometimes more concerned with selling copies than in reporting all the facts. Every story has an angle, an argument. In writing this piece, I realized that a story is only one voice, only one side of the story. Even though the journalist quotes people from both "sides", they use the quotes to fit into their argument, rather than shaping an argument around the information available. This is a theme I later explore in more detail, but I can see in this post that I was starting to understand the difference. The truth is far more complex than this writer alludes.
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