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When tragedy strikes, it's natural to rationalize the chaos and shock. The murder of UNC Chapel Hill's Student Body President Eve Carson was no different.

Another college student murdered, added to the rather long list of crime around U.S. college campuses. Except this time, the student leadership position in the community caused a frenzy the media could only have dreamed of, had it not been reality.

Thin, attractive, blonde, 22-year-old girl stays in to study, while her roommates left for a night of partying. Four and a half hours later, her body found, shot several times in an affluent Chapel Hill neighborhood.

The first break: an ATM photo of a young black man attempting to use her bank card, while wearing a notorious local gang symbol, a vintage Houston Astros baseball cap and driving the victim's car.

The answers to "Why? and how?" have yet to be resolved at the time of writing this, leaving speculation rampant. On Facebook.com, UNC students wondered if the suspects knew Carson due to her predominant community position. On cable news networks, talking heads speculated gang involvement. After all, they hailed from Durham, North Carolina's gang capital, according to a recent study funded by the Durham Police Department.

It is not the intention of this editorial to suggest that coverage of Carson's death is not warranted. Her untimely death remains a sad, close-to-home tragedy. In critiquing the media coverage surrounding her death, the loss should not go unnoticed. Carson's philanthropist spirit and her charismatic leadership skills will surely be missed in this less than perfect world. However, the media coverage also stirs up irresponsible reporting in relation to larger social issues.

When Googling the latest update on the investigation, YouTube video clips from CNN's Nancy Grace displayed close to the top of the list. The clip begins, "At 17, he's already on parole with a rap sheet as long as a football field. What are you talking about rehabilitation?" Mickey Sherman, an official talking head, responded by saying the historical function of the criminal justice system was rehabilitation, especially for young perpetrators.

Grace snaps, "Yeah, well Mickey, those were cases about shoplifting or joyriding. They're not about cold-blooded murder."

The use of such clichés, like "cold-blooded murder" fail to offer information and sensationalize editorial emotions instead of reporting facts.

Additionally, Grace repeatedly commented on Carson's beauty, over-emphasizing her physical attributes, "A beautiful, brilliant student…" Throughout the segment, Grace repeatedly referred to Lawerence Alvin Lovette, Jr.'s age as an adult who would know the difference between right and wrong. When referring to Carson, Grace only spoke of na'veté and promise of the loss of, "a gorgeous young girl," of multiple gun shot wounds.

Not only national cable news networks slanted coverage. On March 13, Raleigh-based WRAL news reported that Durham Police Chief Jose Lopez said the suspects acted alone in committing random crimes, though the rest of the article details Durham's gang problems and a recent anti-gang study done in Durham.

The following day, the same news outlet covered Judge Craig Brown encouraging anti-gang legislation after setting Lovette's $3 million bond. Brown called for a special session of the General Assembly to approve anti-gang bills as soon as possible while urging careful action and fair trials for the defendant.

After suggesting stronger sentences for gang-related crime, Brown recommended the new legislation honor Carson with the title, "Eve's Law." This ridiculous proposition only confuses viewers, when no reports of gang activity were involved in her death.

Major television networks remain the American public's No. 1 source of news, according to the Nation's National Entertainment State report in 2006. These two television news outlets, CNN and WRAL, reports highlight sensationalism and perpetuate stereotypes without addressing social issues. They only offer speculation, not journalism.

The tragic loss of Carson disturbs college students and citizens alike. Viewers value commemorating the loss of talented individuals who deserve recognition. Their legacy offers hope in the bleakest of situations. However, by sensationalizing Carson's death, the whole event is trivialized.

Carson lived a life full of service. As contemporaries of her generation, it's best to remember her life for her positive impact and resolve to skeptically analyze the indigestible information to create change. We should not accept the mainstream media's future of fear and isolation.

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