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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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 OPINION 
9

Ivy League Crimes Are More Equal Than Others

To grab headlines, commit or fall victim to murder at Harvard or Yale

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(Newser) – The killing of Yale grad student Annie Le dominated headlines around the world, "but every murder is uniquely dramatic," Jack Shafer writes for Slate. Why this one? It involves a magic word. "Three murders at a Midwestern college equal one murder at Harvard or Yale," Shafer calculates. "If you kill somebody and want the press to go all Nancy Grace on your ass, make sure your victim attends or works at Harvard or Yale."

The disparity is well documented, indefensible, and easy to explain, Shafer contends. The tabs are trading in schadenfreude, their nominally tonier competitors in empathetic or aspirational coverage. "Had the Le murder happened at, say, Oklahoma State University," Schafer observes, "you'd have to bribe the night editor of the New York Times with a case of scotch and Hasty Pudding tickets to get him to run a one-inch wire story."

Jason Aquino, 23, during his arraignment in Medford, Mass., August 3, 2009. The charges included murder and armed robbery in connection with the shooting death of Justin Cosby in a Harvard dorm.
Jason Aquino, 23, during his arraignment in Medford, Mass., August 3, 2009. The charges included murder and armed robbery in connection with the shooting death of Justin Cosby in a Harvard dorm.   (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
A sign seeking info in the disappearance of Annie Le posted on the Yale campus in New Haven, Conn., Monday, Sept. 14, 2009. Le's body was later found hidden behind a wall in a Yale research building.
A sign seeking info in the disappearance of Annie Le posted on the Yale campus in New Haven, Conn., Monday, Sept. 14, 2009. Le's body was later found hidden behind a wall in a Yale research building.   (AP Photo/Douglas Healey)
A flyer bearing photos of Annie Le is posted outside the building that housed her lab in New Haven, Conn.
A flyer bearing photos of Annie Le is posted outside the building that housed her lab in New Haven, Conn.   (AP Photo/Thomas Cain)
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9 comments
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Enoughie
Sep 18, 09 3:11 PM CDT
As journalism is rapidly becoming a sort of market entertainment you should expect stories about the "elite" and celebrities to dominate the news, and skew our perception of what is important in reality. Nothing newsworthy here.. Reply
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dontlikeyou
Sep 19, 09 10:06 PM CDT
Some reporters.... well, I think they live devoid a reality which is present in the lives of the rest of us.
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0
Antiks
Sep 19, 09 5:23 AM CDT
It's the same shit with Scott and Lacey Peterson. It's just the MSM manufacturing news for ratings. Reply
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metalworldorder
Sep 19, 09 12:17 PM CDT
I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way. We had a guy shot in the back of the head while working at the gas station on school property, and I didn't see national coverage of that. It's pathetic that the media reinforces elitism because it sells. Reply
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corrozu
Sep 19, 09 5:54 PM CDT
I think you guys are forgetting the fact she was getting married within 5 days of her initial disappearance... Reply
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