I admit I know virtually nothing about the trial of Casey Anthony, who is accused of killing her almost three-year-old toddler, Caylee. I find the media and the public’s obsessive preoccupation with this murder trial to be morbid, just as it was with the 1996 Jon Benet Ramsey murder case.

But, most of all, I just find it—put it politely— selective. Virtually every month in New York City a young child is murdered either by his or her mother or the mother’s boyfriend or the adult responsible for the child—and hardly any of them ever gets the kind of national round-the-clock media coverage that Caylee Anthony’s death is receiving.

I find myself emphatically agreeing with Kiri Blakeley’s article on the Forebes web site. To me, there is something strangely disconcerting about the reality that there are currently two nationally tracked trials happening which both involve (semi) attractive white women; Casey Anthony and Amanda Knox. Both of whom have been accused of committing crimes that, unfortunately, are not that uncommon or new.

Are these two cases really that much of an anomaly that they necessitate around the clock coverage and in-depth media analysis? I for one don’t think so. I’m sure I’m not the only one who notices this freakish media proclivity and I do hope it ends soon.

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Painting above: Olympia by Edouard Manet

Tags:amanda knoxcasey anthonyentertainmentmediaracismsexwhite women