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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Why is Sabina Nessa murder not all over the media?

462 replies

postingfortraffichere · 22/09/2021 23:45

Such a tragic killing and sad, truly awful to hear about this murder.

Though I can't understand why, it doesn't get the same media/public attention as Sarah Everard who died in similarly tragic circumstances not long ago.

Both are equally tragic, two young women attacked in similar circumstances - the only difference I can see in these cases is the colour of their skin. Sarah's murder was everywhere - before we knew it was a police officer responsible.

Women had lined the streets in protest to make the country a safer place for women.

I can't help but notice where are these women protesting for Sabina? Or for the Killmarsh murders, or other women of colour?

The media treats women of colour - even to this day - very differently to white women.

It feels like the media are sending a clear message that black lives STILL 'don't matter' quite as much as their white counterparts.

OP posts:
Clarefromwork · 23/09/2021 08:33

I always thought the murders of sisters Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry didn’t get a lot of media attention. I only realised now from reading this article that the family didn’t receive a lot of support from the police and found the bodies themselves. Awful

www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-57679755

Innocenta · 23/09/2021 08:33

Also, the title of the thread itself was misspelt, and Sabina's name has been repeatedly erroneously written in various people's posts. I really think those claiming she is receiving no attention from the media could at least take the time to check their own spelling, as a matter of respect.

Cadent · 23/09/2021 08:34

@GCAcademic

Saying it’s a privilege to have friends speak for you is not the same as saying Sarah Everard was privileged. The former is a truth, the latter would be cruel and tasteless. Do you really not see the difference?

The discussion was about Sarah Everard. Therefore it's not unreasonable to think that while the general can be extrapolated from the specific, a general point can also be taken to apply to the specific case that was being discussed on the thread.

I did think it was cruel and tasteless, yes.

More obfuscation from you. The poster made a general point. No one has said Sarah Everard was privileged.
Cadent · 23/09/2021 08:34

[quote Clarefromwork]I always thought the murders of sisters Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry didn’t get a lot of media attention. I only realised now from reading this article that the family didn’t receive a lot of support from the police and found the bodies themselves. Awful

www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-57679755[/quote]
Not only that, but the police actually took selfies with their mutilated bodies.

Chicchicchicchiclana · 23/09/2021 08:35

There was a similar thread on Mumsnet after the murder of Julia James. It was thought that her story didn't get as much attention because she wasn't young and beautiful as Sarah.

I have noticed some odd things in the reporting of Sabina's murder. The police have mentioned that there was "a delay" in finding her body and apologised. Apparently she was murdered at 8.30 in the evening and her body found after 5pm the following day. So had she been reported missing and were people looking for her, or was her body found in passing?

The lack of details about any suspect is disconcerting. But there could well be a valid police reason for that.

RIP Sabina and I hope the evil bastard who snatched your life away is charged soon.

SueSaid · 23/09/2021 08:35

As pp have said Julia James, a white woman walking her dog murdered a short time after Sarah did not get vigils or massive press coverage either.

It has nothing to do with skin colour.

GCAcademic · 23/09/2021 08:36

[quote ithinkilikeit]@GCAcademic you are particularly missing the pint and trying to use the fact that you are apparently a women of colour (which none of us can verify and is frankly irrelevant ) to support your point. Why do you think that people can only talk about one thing at a time. Why don’t you start a thread about male violence instead of insisting that people talking about a specific issue in disparity of media reporting are missing the point about male violence.[/quote]
Oh here we go. I must be lying about my skin colour because I don't think in the way that brown people presumably do (because we are all the same , right?).

I have been on loads of threads on here about male violence. They always go the same way. They end up being derailed by the NAMALT and "not my Nigel" brigade. I even attracted a creepy stalker on here as a result of pointing out male violence. There is a thread in Feminism about this case in relation to male violence. It's not received much attention other than from the usual FWR posters.

Fredstheteds · 23/09/2021 08:36

So sad- only picked it up in the NEU - teaching union .

Annoyedanddissapointed · 23/09/2021 08:36

@UsedUpUsername

However those of us who are white are privileged regardless of our status, we often don't realise and just take it for granted. We have to step outside of our box to see it objectively

If you are a woman over 40, good luck getting anyone to care about your being missing or murdered, especially if you also happen to be poor or ‘doing something’ (ie on drugs or sex work) to be seen as related somehow.

This is far more relevant than skin colour.

There is white and there is not white enough just an fyi. The "missing white woman syndrome" should be "missing local white woman syndrome".

Re this vs previous case. They are completely different. Shouldn't be compared when it comes to coverage. Sad to say that of course missing person case will gain more traction than body dound case. However it is and have been in media a lot. I've seen it on my feeds on SM as well.

Cadent · 23/09/2021 08:36

@Innocenta

Also, the title of the thread itself was misspelt, and Sabina's name has been repeatedly erroneously written in various people's posts. I really think those claiming she is receiving no attention from the media could at least take the time to check their own spelling, as a matter of respect.
I agree. I said to @Onyernelly that she spelt Sabina’s name wrong, and instead of saying she’ll ask MNHQ to fix it, she told me to fuck off. BAME woken are definitely lesser in the eyes of people.
bellabasset · 23/09/2021 08:37

There was a lot of news about Sarah as she had disappeared on her walk home and the awful circumstances of her death by a serving police officer.

It seems possible that Sabina's body was found before anyone realised she was missing. Her poor family, I can't imagine anything worse than knowing your lovely dd or sister has been killed by a stranger. She was such a pretty girl

VestaTilley · 23/09/2021 08:39

It’s been high up on bbc news and the papers. I’ve had it all over my Twitter feed for days. It’s absolutely awful what has happened to Sabina.

Some stories run and run in the press more than others, some are a slower burn. I expect most people assumed Sabina was killed by someone she knew, which is no less awful, but as a more frequently committed crime that would also be less unusual. If that turns out not to be the case then I expect it will get much bigger as a story by next week as people realise there’s a killer on the loose.

The Sarah Everard case isn’t comparable, because at first she was missing, which was out of character, then it emerged she’d been snatched off the street, driven miles away, raped and murdered. That’s not the same profile of crime as in this case- though that does not reduce in any way the tragedy of it.

Doorhandleghost · 23/09/2021 08:39

Definitely because of her race, and sadly it’s that simple. We have had more coverage of the recent murder of a white blonde woman who lives in America than of the murder of a black woman in our own country.

Speakeasy22 · 23/09/2021 08:40

OP, I think you are looking for what you want to see. The two cases are not very similar. The big difference is there is no missing person and no police officer as a suspect. It is as simple as that.

Darkchocolateandcoffee · 23/09/2021 08:40

It has nothing to do with skin colour @Cadent and shame on your for using this young woman's murder to race bait.

Onyernelly · 23/09/2021 08:40

Excellent post @EnidSpyton Flowers

wellards · 23/09/2021 08:41

I always thought the murders of sisters Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry didn’t get a lot of media attention. I only realised now from reading this article that the family didn’t receive a lot of support from the police and found the bodies themselves. Awful

This actually really surprised me because it's highly unusual for 2 women to be murdered by a complete stranger & then have a suspect who clearly would do this again at large. And for that not to be much press.

AlfonsoTheMango · 23/09/2021 08:43

It's all over the media.

SueSaid · 23/09/2021 08:43

@Darkchocolateandcoffee

It has nothing to do with skin colour *@Cadent* and shame on your for using this young woman's murder to race bait.
This.

Don't people think of the victims family and friends when they post goady crap like this.

Google Julia James. Educate yourself.

Cadent · 23/09/2021 08:43

@Darkchocolateandcoffee

It has nothing to do with skin colour *@Cadent* and shame on your for using this young woman's murder to race bait.
What has nothing to do with skin colour?
Theoldprospector · 23/09/2021 08:44

The report on this case is the second most read U.K. news story in the Guardian today.

diavlo · 23/09/2021 08:44

Yes I agree. There is also a different tone to the coverage.

anothermansshoes · 23/09/2021 08:45

Yeah we are all seeing this thread then looking for the stories

GCAcademic · 23/09/2021 08:47

More obfuscation from you. The poster made a general point. No one has said Sarah Everard was privileged.

I am giving up now. You are wilfully seeing what you want to see. You clearly think the same about me. Best to agree to disagree.

Annoyedanddissapointed · 23/09/2021 08:47

@anothermansshoes

Yeah we are all seeing this thread then looking for the stories
It's been on before tbf. I've been seeing it for days now