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Murder of Nishan Huff

Beowulf

By Beowulf
in The Coffee House

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Beowulf Whistle-Stop

Beowulf

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With the news of Tiffany Souers everywhere, it might be easy to overlook another tragic case..

In this morning’s paper, tucked away back on the third page of the Metro section, was the news of the murder of Nishan Huff, age 23. Huff was discovered by her boyfriend shot to death in her apartment just off of Pleasantburg Drive. Right now there are no suspects.

Quoting the article:

Chicketa Huff said her sister graduated with honors from Francis Marion University, where she had a double major.

"She was an overachiever," she said.

Huff said her sister, a member of a sorority, lived alone, and comes from a close-knit family. Huff said she had worked at the Outback Steakhouse for a year or more.

Both of these crimes are tragic, to be sure, but the question must be asked. Why was Tiffany Souers’s murder elevated to front page status, and Nishan Huff’s all but neglected? Both seemed to be intelligent young ladies with lots going for them. Was it because one was a current college student and one was not? Was it because strangulation by a bikini top is so much more dramatic than a gunshot? Or could it be something else? Souers’s picture was posted everywhere, showing a blond-haired cute coed – someone anybody would like. There were no photos of Huff, and although no ethnicity was given, her given name would indicate something other than blond hair. Could race be an issue here? I would hope not. Even if my assumption about ethnicity is totally incorrect, why is there a difference in the attention given to one over the other at all?

I don’t mean to diminish the tragedy surrounding Souers’s murder. However, I would think that Nishan Huff’s murder deserves just as much attention as the Souers case. I hope that the authorities work as diligently in solving it.

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Beowulf Whistle-Stop

Beowulf

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I guess that with this case following so closely on the heals of the Souers case, the contrast in coverage is a bit more striking.

...and I didn't mean to imply that our good law enforcement folks wouldn't work as hard. I guess I was more concerned about the coverage.

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gs3 Metropolitan Area

gs3

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Well said Beowulf. :thumbsup:

The news media.....they go for the bang. Guns kill people everyday....status quo. A person who used a golf club (once used by Tiger Woods and then stolen in Palm Beach) to beat a 65 year old pregnant woman to death!!!!!! That's catchy!!!!!!

I'm not making jokes about any murder or crime, please understand. But the attention that some receive.....it makes you wonder what kind of focus is being lost on others.

Really sad. :(

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Greenville City

Greenville

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I think the fact that Tiffany Souers was a young, blonde-haired Caucasian certainly played a role, but was not the only factor. Other potential factors as to why national news networks picked up on it:

-She attended a well-known university (if she attended a small and relatively unknown school like Francis Marion University, I doubt it would have been covered)

-She was highly thought of, and was ambitious enough to take summer school classes to get ahead and to continue her charity work

-She was from the midwest, and obviously traveled a long way from home to go to school (to a place that is otherwise very safe)

-She was from a seemingly well-to-do (perhaps affluent) and close-knit family

-She was strangled by a bikini (the suspect was called the "Bikini Strangler" right off the bat); that is highly unusual

-She was only 20 and had a lot of promise

-It might have been a slow news day (I don't know what else was going on the day these stories broke on Fox News, CNN, etc.)

I do agree, though, that murder victims like Nishan Huff deserve to have their lives recognized and celebrated as well. It is too bad that networks have to pick what is most newsworthy and "interesting."

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OutlawSteph Unincorporated Area

OutlawSteph

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I think when people see the news of a young white woman being victimized, they assume she was an innocent victim. When you see a person of color being victimized, people may assume that that person put themselves in a position to be at risk such as buying/using drugs or prostitution. I'm not saying those assumptions are right, but that is what people may be thinking.

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Beowulf Whistle-Stop

Beowulf

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I do understand all of those arguments. My questions were more rhetorical.

I guess what I find lamentable is that the media can choose which life deserves more attention. It just hit me really hard, seeing all of the front page coverage for one case, then this one little article in the same paper about the other tucked away in the back.

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MAJIKMAN Hamlet

MAJIKMAN

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I do understand all of those arguments. My questions were more rhetorical.

I guess what I find lamentable is that the media can choose which life deserves more attention. It just hit me really hard, seeing all of the front page coverage for one case, then this one little article in the same paper about the other tucked away in the back.

I hear ya. Heard about this through my mom. A girl at Long John Silver told her. And this is WHAT day two. What a shame. I hope these news organization have their priorities in order. <_<

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Greenville City

Greenville

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I do understand all of those arguments. My questions were more rhetorical.

I guess what I find lamentable is that the media can choose which life deserves more attention. It just hit me really hard, seeing all of the front page coverage for one case, then this one little article in the same paper about the other tucked away in the back.

When you think about it, the media decides which lives are more important when it comes to living people as well. Their worship of Hollywood and celebrity has created a culture of Americans who form opinions and beliefs based on what their favorite Hollywood actors think. If I were a parent, the thought of one entity having that much influence (potentially) would cause me to work extra hard at parenting!

I am not trying to sound anti-media, but I think viewers need to be careful when relying on Fox News, CNN, etc. for all of their news. Many times, the stories are one-sided and presented in a way to play to their audiences and to get the ratings they desire. In the case of murders, their approach is probably quite similar.

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Beowulf Whistle-Stop

Beowulf

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Last update from me on this subject:

I did as RT suggested and crafted a letter to the editor. The response I got did provide some much needed clarification. According to the e-mail, the Souers case broke and was printed nearly two days after the crime was committed. The Huff case was reported 12 hours after the crime, with a follow-up today on the front page.

I guess the implication was that I should wait and see how the Huff case is covered, which I will do.

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GSP Tiger Burg

GSP Tiger

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From another perspective...

This is another murder in an area developing a silent reputation for crime. Within the past years, an unsolved double homicide occured west off Poinsett Highway and a drug deal gone bad killed a couple's son. I do not want to see the greater Cherrydale area turn into a crime central.

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RestedTraveler Metropolis

RestedTraveler

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From another perspective...

This is another murder in an area developing a silent reputation for crime. Within the past years, an unsolved double homicide occured west off Poinsett Highway and a drug deal gone bad killed a couple's son. I do not want to see the greater Cherrydale area turn into a crime central.

Yet another reason this area should be annexed into the city limits ... increased police patrols and presence could help put this in check before it gets out of hand.

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