More Messages: JonBenet Hits Wall Street

Now that even the Boulder district attorney's office agrees that John Mark Karr's confession in the JonBenet Ramsey case was bogus, media consumers thoroughly tired of the topic are looking forward to a well-deserved respite from coverage of the nearly ten-year-old murder investigation. They shouldn't expect this break to be...

By Michael Roberts

August 30, 2006

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Now that even the Boulder district attorney's office agrees that John Mark Karr's confession in the JonBenet Ramsey case was bogus, media consumers thoroughly tired of the topic are looking forward to a well-deserved respite from coverage of the nearly ten-year-old murder investigation. They shouldn't expect this break to be permanent, though. After all, a sizable slice of the public remains fascinated with this long-dead child, as media gatekeepers understand all too well. Including those at the Wall Street Journal.

Yep, even the Journal, arguably America's most strait-laced major publication, isn't above capitalizing on JonBenet mania, as demonstrated by its August 30 front page. The headline in the upper-left-hand corner, above the banner, reads: "The Unending Saga of JonBenet Ramsey." Beside it is a full-color illustration of the late Ms. Ramsey's most reproduced photo, shown here.

The item the blurb plugs is an opinion piece by Journal editorial board member Dorothy Rabinowitz that's only available online to WSJ website subscribers. Predictably, it's not exactly chock-a-block with insight. Rabinowitz begins by noting how much coverage the Karr matter received despite a slew of other significant stories in the news: the Katrina anniversary, the freeing of two kidnapped Fox journalists in the Middle East, a Kentucky plane crash that killed 49 people. As for her conclusion, she focuses on the reasons John and Patsy Ramsey become prime suspects in the first place. "It is possible no one will ever know who killed JonBenet Ramsey," Rabinowitz writes. "We can know, with certainty, as that case among others has proved, how much legal protection enough money can buy."

Also undebated is the impact JonBenet's image has on newsstand sales. And that's as true on Wall Street as it is on the Pearl Street Mall. -- Michael Roberts

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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