The New York media have shown precious little interest in reporting on a pattern of vandalism that has struck Calvary Cemetery in Queens, New York. On Christmas Eve, 300 gravestones were knocked over by vandals. On January 12, more than 100 other gravestones were desecrated and the cemetery’s tool shed was set on fire. Then on January 20 the vandals struck again, this time knocking over 20 headstones and smashing a mausoleum window with a sledgehammer.
Only one of the four newspapers in New York, Newsday, found the latest incident worthy of coverage; TV and radio news shows also showed little interest in reporting on the vandalism.
When Jewish cemeteries are desecrated, the media in New York are quick to give such stories extended coverage. Why they treat the desecration of Catholic cemeteries as a non-issue says much about the way the media treat Catholics, in general.
