Letter: Inconsistencies in reporting on race

On April 17, the Daily Herald published an Associated Press story on Page 1 about the shooting of 16-year-old Ralph Yarl by 84 year-old Andrew Lester. Following is the lede of that story: "An 84-year-old white man in Kansas City, Missouri, was charged Monday with first-degree assault after he shot a Black teen who mistakenly went to the man's home to pick up his younger brothers."

On April 21, the Daily Herald published an Associated Press story on Page 2 about the shooting of 6-year-old Kinsley White, her mother and her father by 24-year-old Robert Louis Singletary. Following is the lede of that story: "A North Carolina man shot and wounded a 6-year-old girl and her parents after (the) children went to retrieve a basketball that had rolled into his yard ..."

While the races of Ralph Yarl and Andrew Lester were mentioned in the first story, the races of Kinsley and Robert Singletary were not mentioned anywhere in the second story. However, an internet search revealed that Mr. Singletary is Black and Kinsley and her parents are white. You would have to ask the AP why those facts were relevant to the Lester story and not to the Singletary story.

Fortunately, Ralph Yarl, Kinsley White and her mom, Ashley Hilderbrand, are recovering from their wounds. However, Kinsley's father, William White, remains in critical condition from a bullet wound to his back (a fact also omitted from the AP story).

President Biden placed a phone call to Ralph Yarl last weekend and invited him and his family to visit the White House once he has recovered. It remains to be seen if the president will extend the same invitation to Kinsley and her parents.

Randy Harris

Campton Hills