Station Defends Itself Against Charges of Racial Bias

By Kevin Eck 

After three University of Iowa wrestlers were arrested on suspicion of burglary, Cedar Rapids ABC affiliate KCRG posted pictures of the trio on its website.

What drew attention to the station’s report was how nice the pictures of the three students were compared to another story on the station’s website about a similar subject, four guys being charged with burglary in Coralville. The four Coralville suspects were black and their pictures were not so nice.

comparisons KCRG

Advertisement

The station responded to viewer complaints saying, “While the side-by-side comparison makes the presentation appear racially motivated, circumstances of each case dictated how each crime was reported and presented.”

The station explained the two groups were processed at different jails. The four black men were in Johnson County where “the jail posts mug shots on its website for the duration of a suspect’s stay in jail. That process allowed KCRG-TV9 to quickly obtain the photographs of the Coralville suspects when the crime was first reported.”

The station said the wrestlers posed pictures were easier to access since they were at a jail requiring written requests for mugshots, which the station says takes longer to get.

At no time in this process or in our policies does race factor into coverage decisions. The availability of pictures differs in each story and our policy is aimed at getting the best images and information available to the public in a timely manner. Decisions for each article are made based solely on the circumstances around that crime and are not influenced by any other reporting.

Advertisement