The Shooting Of Map Kong: Is The Star Tribune Already Trying To Criminalize Map Kong As Someone Who Deserved It Or Is It Just Bad Reporting?

Monday, March 21, 2016

In one of the articles on the shooting of Map Kong - an article from the Star Tribune says the following:



Out of all the news coverage I've read up to this point - all of the news articles *do not* talk about this and I question the reasons behind the statement by the Star Tribune.

I have written the two writers of the story Liz Sawyer and Tim Harlow.

Dear Liz Sawyer And Tim Harlow,

Can you please explain why you felt the need to put this piece of text in your article and why you felt it was relevant to the story:

Kong has a criminal history, with at least seven arrests since 1997 on suspicion of narcotics possession, firearm violations and domestic violence, records show.

I question why you put this in your article when it doesn't relate to the actual news story of the shooting, and there is currently no information on whether the police had any knowledge of Map Kong and his past record at the time of the shooting.

Because you decided to not post any of the actual dates of the arrests since 1997, or any other information on those arrests and whether anything more came out of them, etc. it's a blanket statement on the deceased and his past history - in essence painting him as a criminal and some may say, giving the picture that in some ways he deserved to be shot because of any past arrests.

Can you please confirm how you came to decide to look into his past arrests? Was this a tip from local police in Burnsville when interviewing them and did you then look further into it or did you decide on your own to look to see if Map Kong had past arrests?

Thank You,
Adam


Let's wait to see if there is a response.