Throwing fuel on the fire: Reggie White's role in the media coverage of a Tennessee church arson

The purpose of this research study was to examine the ability of a celebrity to influence how national and local media cover an event. It focused on the influence of football superstar Reggie White over the media coverage of an arson fire that destroyed the Inner City Church in Knoxville, Tennessee in January 1996, where White was an associate pastor. Also studied were the rise in church arsons as a result of the increased media coverage and the involvement of politicians, civil rights and religious organizations in the coverage. This thesis was based on my personal experience as Public Information Officer for the Knoxville Fire Department, on personal interviews with emergency personnel and journalists who covered the event, on reports that appeared in The Knoxville News-Sentinel, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and other publications. The 1997 and 1998 National Church Arson Task Force Reports to the President and Reggie White’s 1996 autobiography, In The Trenches were examined as well. The research showed that prior to Reggie White’s involvement in the issue, 27 Southern black church arsons in 1995 were barely given any media attention. Reggie White’s outspokenness, charisma, athletic superstar standing and his presence before the cameras gave the media a reason to begin its coverage of the church arson story. The increased media attention and publicity soon led to “copycat” arson crimes that resulted in five times the number of black church arsons in 1996 than in the previous year. This also led to political figures, civil rights activists and African American church groups seeking opportunities to weigh in on the issue. It is clear that after Reggie White became vocal about the burning of his own church, media coverage of Southern church arsons increased dramatically. What was considered a local story was suddenly elevated to an issue of national prominence.