Two levels of crime coverage

Many Washington media outlets, including The Post, have been abuzz about the slaying of Jayna Murray, an employee at the Lululemon boutique in Bethesda, on March 11. The Post ran at least four articles about the crime, including a column by Robert McCartney, and the story did take a bizarre twist when Murray’s co-worker, who had initially reported that she and Murray were assaulted by intruders, was charged with the killing.

But The Post has given not even perfunctory coverage to the slaying of Jacinta Ayala, a Mexican immigrant killed before daylight March 18 at the Burger King in Frederick, where she worked. The Post did not identify her in a brief about her death and didn’t bother with a follow-up in the first few days afterward.

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The lack of attention paid Ayala’s death is striking. The two crime scenes are less than 40 miles apart. I suppose the media found Murray’s slaying fascinating because it occurred at an upscale retailer in an upscale neighborhood. I’d like to think socioeconomic factors don’t influence the way you cover news.

Brian Lem, Herndon

 
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