When It Comes to Domestic Violence, Do Male Black Lives Matter?

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Rebecca Stewart

Telephone: 513-479-3335

When It Comes to Domestic Violence, Do Male Black Lives Matter?

WASHINGTON / November 23, 2020 – Contrasting news coverage of two domestic violence incidents, one involving a White female victim, the second involving a Black male target, reveals troubling media bias in covering the partner abuse issue.

On October 28, Utahna Halona, a White woman, was fatally stabbed in the neck by her husband. The media account reported, “The Unified Police Department responded to a domestic violence call at Utahna’s home just after 6 p.m. on Oct. 28. There, officers found a ‘large amount of blood throughout the residence, leading up to the master bedroom.’” (1)

Two weeks later on November 14, Terry Hickman, a Black man, was shot five times by his former girlfriend. According to the article in the Washington Post and other media outlets, “Terry Hickman, 44, of Southwest, was found with gunshot wounds about 5:30 p.m. Saturday….Police said Nijinsky Latassia Dix, 37, of Jacksonville, Fla., was arrested Saturday and charged with second degree murder while armed.” (2)

Despite the similarity of the crimes, media coverage of the two incidents was marked by a series of striking contrasts.

First, both stories provided photographs of the alleged assailants. The image of the Utah killer depicted a disheveled and unshaven man, glaring at the police camera. In contrast, media accounts of the D.C. incident featured a photograph of a woman sporting a broad smile, confidently crossing her arms, wearing color-coordinated attire. Nijinsky Dix was spared the incriminating mug shot.

In the days following the incident, the White female victim was lionized as “the most beautiful, loving and amazing soul” who will “will be greatly missed.” A homily in the Utah Homicide Survivors Facebook page explained: “She made everything beautiful and always went out of her way to bring family and friends together.” (3)

This differed from coverage of Terry Hickman’s senseless death. A GunMemorial.org web page described the man as “joyfilled, hilarious, and positive,” an “entrepreneur,” and father of three (4). But none of these facts were mentioned in the media accounts that followed his execution. Terry Hickman was never humanized or his life accomplishments memorialized.

But the most stunning contrast was the number of articles about the parallel events. A Google News search for “Utahna Halona homicide Utah” turned up 2,520 articles. In contrast, a Google News search for “Terry Hickman homicide Washington DC” returned only 322 media accounts, a seven-fold difference.

To reporters, the death of Utahna Halona represented the sudden and tragic end to a “most beautiful, loving and amazing soul.” In contrast, the murder of Terry Hickman was just another crime statistic that warranted dutiful but uninspired coverage.

The senseless death of a White female mattered approximately seven times more than the untimely demise of a Black male in the nation’s capital.

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