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Putting Gates In Perspective

Conor Friedersdorf does it:

Wrongly arrest a black men who happens to be a Harvard professor, release him without filing charges, and the national press corps asks the president to comment. Wrongly imprison for years on end a black man who happens to be working class and without celebrity, and the national press corps continues to utterly ignore a criminal justice system that routinely convicts innocent people. Apportioning blame for this sorry state of affairs isn't as important as recognizing that the news we get on these matters reflects a value system that is seriously flawed, and that news consumers bear blame for too.

Seriously, there are much, much greater instances of injustice out there. It's past time we all start paying attention to them.

Update: Sherrilyn Ifill makes a similar point.

--Jason Zengerle