After living in DC for the past eight months, I’ve noticed a distinct difference in the way crime is covered in the local media in the two cities.
In Baltimore, there seems to be more attention paid to violent street crime, or crimes related to gangs and the drug trade. Crime coverage seems to be more unified, with an eye toward emerging trends and how crime is rising and falling in various neighborhoods. Because of this comprehensive coverage, I now know that the Black Guerilla Family is a strong Baltimore gang, and that the Tree Top Pirus are a local sect of the national Bloods gang. I know that there is an old rivalry between the drug crews of the east and west sides of town, with the occasional New York interloper thrown in, who could face violent interference from either faction. I know some of the worst drug corners, and places where violent crime occasionally spills over into more well-to-do neighborhoods. This is especially remarkable when you consider how dramatically the Baltimore Sun newsroom has been downsized by buyouts and staff cuts, and that the Sun is the only daily in town.
In DC, crime is essentially non-existent in many NW neighborhoods, and coverage of the violence taking place in other neighborhoods must be sought out and found. Most crime coverage is being treated one case at a time by, for example, the Washington Post. I have no feel for the highest crime areas, aside from a neighborhood called Trinidad where there were nationally publicized police blockades last year due to an outbreak of shootings. There’s almost no linear coverage of gang crime or the drug trade, though both are problems here. The most I can find are one-offs of shootings. The Post seems to be more focused on white-collar crime. This city is pathologically obsessed with national politics, and that obsession hampers the public’s knowledge of what is going on in its own backyard.
The new local news venture owned by Politico and helmed by former Washington Post editor Jim Brady would be well advised to take a close look at the metro crime beat when the new site launches. It’s being neglected and many stories are going unreported.
