During a traffic stop on March 21 over a seatbelt violation, Dexter Reed, 26, was shot and killed by police. The officers, wearing plain clothes, fired 96 shots, according Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA).
The circumstances surrounding Dexter Reed’s controversial death are currently under investigation, and it will take time to establish the full facts.
Reed did not comply with officers’ commands and shot at police first, injuring one officer, according to COPA.
Authorities said when a gun was recovered in Reed’s car, the magazine was empty. Reed and the injured officer were both Black men. Days before the deadly shooting, Reed appeared in court in connection with firearm charges.
There are details that are still unclear, but with these few given facts of the case, here’s how media told the story.
Headlines from left-leaning news outlets:
The Washington Post: “Police fire 96 shots in 41 seconds, killing Black man during traffic stop.”
Chicago Sun-Times: “Killing of Dexter Reed raises questions about Chicago police reform. ‘The message is, go in guns blazing.’”
USA Today: “96 shots in 41 seconds: Seatbelt violation leads to death of Black Chicago motorist.”
Headlines from right-leaning news outlets:
The Federalist: “Chicago Man Shoots At Police. Corporate Media Blame The Cops.”
The Daily Wire: “Media Bury Key Detail About Police Shooting Of Man Facing Gun Charges.”
The National Review: “Dexter Reed Is Another Bogus Martyr.”
Data shows that eight out of 10 times, a reader doesn’t go any further that a story’s headline. There is an “80-20 rule” in headline writing, according to the Content Marketing Institute, meaning eight of 10 people will read the headline but only two read the rest.
While there are only so many words a reporter can fit into a headline, news outlets are working to grab viewers’ attention, and they use imagery and headlines to do it. That can lead to readers getting very different perspectives on the same story. It’s something media watchdogs like AllSides look for.
Several news outlets, both left-leaning and some on the right, are using a photo of Dexter Reed wearing a cap and gown from his graduation five years ago.
Meanwhile, other right-leaning outlets are using his mug shot from an arrest in 2023.
Center-oriented news outlets rated by AllSides often opted for photos of the actual body cam footage in their reports.
This is a developing story.
Straight Arrow News strives to provide unbiased, fact-based news in addition to offering a comprehensive look at how the media is covering stories that matter most.
