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Implicit Bias and A Protest In La Mesa, California
First, let me explain something. I do understand the fear that many people who demonstrate have about getting tracked or their identities revealed, especially if they are residents of a community with a strong white supremacy presence. However, members of the media should never be part of the story, we sort of became part of it. We left a social justice demonstration for our own safety, which was not organized by Black Lives Matter. We felt extremely unsafe, and in that sense no longer able to do our jobs.
No professional reporter ever wants to put somebody attending a newsworthy event at risk. We go out of our way to protect sources when needed, and even in the field, we will protect people’s safety. Why? This matters, and in the current environment things can get a little hot at times, We are there to document the stories, to write the first draft of history. So if somebody asks us to not use their names, we will not.
Second, any march or protest organized by the organizations that were involved today, will not be covered by either myself or my husband. We will not take the risks that implicit bias puts us today. And when the press does not cover a march, you soon become an echo chamber with very little reach. Also, cameras help to protect everybody. Why? Cameras record, with no risk of bias, since all the camera is doing is…