The New York Times published six articles pertaining to Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday. The dates these the stories were published spanned from Jan. 14, 2011 to Jan. 17, 2011, King's holiday. I had honestly expected more coverage of the holiday, specifically coverage of various events in New York City which I'm sure were numerous.
The overall tone of the coverage was relatively controversial. As expected, a majority of the stories related the tragic murder of Dr. King to the shooting in Tuscon, Ariz. The holiday itself was not criticized, but many officials were criticized for their actions pertaining to holidays and blacks in general.
"Maine: Governor Clears Schedule for Holiday" was about Maine Gov. Paul LePage changing his schedule to attend a breakfast honoring King after he insulted various N.A.A.C.P. leaders when they questioned why he had failed to attend similar events. LePage said the leaders could "kiss my butt" after he turned down numerous invitations to attend such gatherings. No photo accompanied this article.
"Leaping From 1968 Memphis to 2011 Tucson, and Mind-Reading Dr. King" focused on Brooklyn's 25th annual tribute to King and the overall gloomy mood due to the recent shootings in Tuscon. I feel this was a common theme in coverage of the holiday. The article mostly consisted of predictions of what King would have said in response to the shootings and gun control in general. Some politicians also said King "would have been appalled by the poverty that envelops millions of Americans" and he "would have wanted more Americans to devote themselves to community service." Another said King would have "tackled the home mortgage crisis, deplored the failures of our schools, rallied against gang warfare and other predations and denounced the widening inequities of wealth distribution in America." This particular article was written as an editorial. The photo that accompanied this article was one of attendees of the tribute at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
Again, with the focus on gun violence, "At Sharpton’s King Day Forum, a Focus on Gun Violence" was about Rev. Al Sharpton hosting a gathering in Harlem to honor King. The majority of the article and the overall focus of the forum, however, was gun control. It was at this point that I realized many politicians are pushing their agendas through the tragedy that occurred in Tuscon. This year, King's holiday was simply a means of furthering gun control legislation. I was unable to decide whether this was insensitive towards the people of Tuscon affected by these shootings or if this tragic issue is receiving top priority. Perhaps this country was long overdue for a review of our gun policies and the shootings in Tuscon opened the eyes of many politicians. State Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman said, “Sometimes it takes something big and dramatic to get people’s attention.”
The only hopeful story regarding King was "String Meets Steel to Build Harmony." The story didn't really focus on King or his holiday. It was about the Haven Street Quartet sharing a stage and bill with St. Luke's Steel Band for a tribute to King.
In the Times' archives, I found countless articles on King. There were several articles published in his lifetime and they didn't cease as much as I expected after his death. Some of the ones published while he was living were about him winning the Nobel Peace Prize and being the youngest to do so, his "I Have a Dream" speech and an article claiming he was the spokesman for blacks. Some published after his death were the student rampage in West Germany prompted by his death, women attempting to bar the showing of a documentary about King's life in 1970 and several editorials both criticizing and praising King. Obviously articles about King during his lifetime were more controversial and he was more likely to receive criticism then from people with differing ideals. Now, coverage of King is limited to remembrance ceremonies. King is highly praised now and is less likely to receive criticism. After 1970 though, the frequency with which articles are published about King dramatically slows.
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