BenSwann.com reported Tuesday on a scene of over 100 clergy marching peacefully through the streets of Baltimore on Monday, responding to violence in the city and demanding that the juvenile rioters stop burning buildings and looting. However, as mentioned in the article, the scene was only picked up by some local media outlets and was completely ignored by national media channels, who instead make Baltimore look like a war zone.

" As over 5,000 law enforcement officials are converging on Baltimore as well as another 5,000 National Guard troops, the nation continues to watch the city that exploded with violent riots on Monday. Images of a CVS looted and burning, buildings set ablaze, juveniles in the streets who have thrown rocks at police. These are the images that most of the nation will associate with Baltimore, and yet most media has all but ignored more than a week of peaceful protests demanding answers into the death of Freddie Gray." - BenSwann.com, April 28. 2015

Check out the full article here.

Other websites, like Black Westchester, are also trying to raise awareness of the fact that there were thousands of peaceful protesters in downtown Baltimore demanding justice for the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black male whose spinal cord was severed while in police custody.

The lingering question that is not being addressed is what role the mainstream media plays in all of this or is trying to play. The national perception is that Baltimore is only mere days away from completely burning to the ground as police and the National Guard are sent in to control rioting. Are racial tensions this extreme or is race an issue that is simply not getting the right attention from media outlets?

The issue of race is not something many Americans like to discuss. The topic makes us uncomfortable, but there are lingering issues that can be discussed and should be discussed without making it sound like urban communities across the United States are ready to explode in violence and mass chaos. Most of the protesters in Baltimore are not acting violently, but people would not know that from just watching CNN or Fox News.

The media is no longer in the business of informing viewers and expanding their understanding of the fundamental and key issues involved in these incidents. Angling coverage to add fuel to the proverbial fire is simply better for ratings.

Photo Source: Reuters