Media Accused of Obscuring Suspect's Race in Mississippi Homicide Case

The reporting surrounding the death of Tasia Fortune, a 29-year-old Black woman found hanging from a tree in Jackson, Mississippi, has drawn scrutiny over how media outlets have covered the arrest of the suspect, Jarques Ratliff. While initial claims suggested a potential hate crime, the subsequent arrest and the race of the suspect have prompted accusations that some news organizations downplayed or omitted key details.

Fortune was discovered on August 3rd outside an abandoned home. Following her death, Democratic representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley referred to the incident as one of several "modern-day lynchings." However, on Friday, September 11th, Jarques Ratliff, 51, who is also Black, was charged with Fortune's murder. Ratliff entered a not guilty plea on Monday.

Multiple news outlets, including CNN, NBC News, ABC News, The Associated Press, and USA Today, have been criticized for initially describing Fortune as Black while not immediately identifying Ratliff's race in their breaking news reports of his arrest. Some outlets buried Ratliff's mugshot deep within their stories or omitted it entirely in initial reports.

CNN's report on the arrest stated, "Police in Jackson, Mississippi, have arrested a man in the case of Tasia Fortune, the 29-year-old Black woman found hanging from a tree outside an abandoned house last month." Ratliff's race was not mentioned until his mugshot appeared several paragraphs later. In a subsequent report on his not guilty plea, CNN again described Fortune as Black without similarly identifying her alleged killer, placing his mugshot nearly 20 paragraphs deep.

NBC News' initial report similarly noted Fortune was Black but omitted Ratliff's race. Its report on his not guilty plea also did not include his mugshot.

ABC News' initial report of the arrest failed to name the suspect, stating, "A man has been arrested and will be charged with homicide in connection with the death of a 29-year-old Black woman whose body was found hanging from a tree in Mississippi last month, police announced Friday." The network later acknowledged Ratliff's name and race in a follow-up report.

The Associated Press also initially omitted Ratliff's race, writing, "Mississippi police have arrested a man in the death of Tasia Fortune, a Black woman found hanging from a tree last month," before acknowledging his race in a later report.

USA Today's initial report stated, "A man was arrested Friday, Sept. 11, in connection with the hanging death of a Mississippi Black woman, Jackson police announced," later mentioning calls for an investigation from civil rights attorney Ben Crump. The paper acknowledged Ratliff's race in a subsequent report.

A spokesperson for USA Today told Fox News Digital that the outlet stands by its initial report, citing reliance on information disclosed by authorities at the time. The spokesperson added that its policy is to publish mugshots "only when the suspect is particularly notable or poses a risk to the community," conditions they stated did not apply to Ratliff as he had already been apprehended.

Representatives for CNN, ABC, NBC, and The Associated Press did not immediately respond to requests for comment.