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The murder of 29-year-old Mississippi woman Tasia Fortune has shocked the nation as many rushed to claim she was the victim of a hate crime — and even following the arrest of her suspected killer, the media continue to obscure the facts that dispel the narrative.
The mother of four was found hanging from a tree outside an abandoned home in Jackson, Mississippi last month, and was described by Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, N.Y., and Ayanna Pressley, Mass., as one of several “modern-day lynchings” based on a string of incidents involving Black people being found in a similar manner despite the lack of evidence to support their declaration.
On Friday, 51-year-old Jarques Ratliff, who is also Black, was charged with Fortune’s murder. He entered a not guilty plea on Monday.
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Tasia Fortune is seen in a portrait displayed Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, in Marion, Kentucky. Inset: Jarques Ratliff, who was arrested in connection to Fortune’s death. (AP Photo/George Walker IV/Jackson Police Department)
Yet the breaking news coverage of Ratliff’s arrest put emphasis on Fortune’s race but not his own.
“Police in Jackson, Mississippi, have arrested a man in the case of Tasia Fortune, the 29-year-old Black woman found hanging from a tree outside an abandoned house last month, following the state medical examiner ruling her death a homicide,” CNN began its report on Friday and similarly posted on X.
Readers would not know Ratliff’s race until they saw his mugshot — placed below the sixth paragraph of the story.
In a separate story from Monday about his not guilty plea, CNN again described Fortune as being Black while not giving the same descriptor as her alleged killer — this time burying his mugshot nearly 20 paragraphs deep.
“A man has been arrested in the killing of Tasia Fortune, a Black woman found hanging from a tree in Mississippi last month,” NBC News similarly wrote while omitting Ratliff’s race.
Notably, neither NBC News’ breaking news report of Ratliff’s arrest nor its report on his not guilty plea included his mugshot.
ARREST RIPS APART MEDIA NARRATIVE ON DEATH OF BLACK WOMAN FOUND HANGING FROM MISSISSIPPI TREE
Christy Spivey poses with a portrait of her late daughter Tasia Fortune, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, in Marion, Ky. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
ABC News’ initial report of Ratliff’s arrest failed to even identify his name.
“A man has been arrested and will be charged with homicide in connection with the death of a 29-year-old Black woman whose body was found hanging from a tree in Mississippi last month, police announced Friday,” ABC News wrote.
However, the Disney-owned network acknowledged Ratliff’s name and race in its follow-up report published Monday.
The Associated Press also scrubbed Ratliff’s race from its initial reporting, writing, “Mississippi police have arrested a man in the death of Tasia Fortune, a Black woman found hanging from a tree last month.”
The AP would later acknowledge his race in Monday’s report.
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Police say Fortune’s body was discovered Aug. 3 in the backyard of a vacant property in the 500 block of Road of Remembrance in Jackson. (Google Maps)
Additionally, USA Today initially refrained from identifying Ratliff’s race, beginning its report by telling readers, “A man was arrested Friday, Sept. 11, in connection with the hanging death of a Mississippi Black woman, Jackson police announced,” later highlighting how the discovery of her body “was followed by calls for an investigation, including from prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump.”
Like other outlets, the paper later acknowledged his race on Monday.
A spokesperson for USA Today told Fox News Digital it stands by its initial report, saying it relied on information disclosed by authorities at the time and that its policy is to only publish mugshots “only when the suspect is particularly notable or poses a risk to the community. Ratliff was already apprehended, so neither condition applied.”
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Representatives for CNN, ABC, NBC and The Associated Press did not immediately respond to requests for comment.