|   When former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem in August 2016, it was in protest of unjust police killings of black Americans. Kaepernick lost his job, but his actions set off a slew of similar protests. On Wednesday the NFL approved a new policy to ban national anthem protests before they happen. Meanwhile, since Kaepernick's kneeling, 378 black men have been shot by the police, according to an analysis conducted by HuffPost using a database of police killings maintained by The Washington Post. We spoke to reporter Sebastian Murdock about why he chose to compile this data in reaction to the NFL's ban of kneeling. Why did you decide to take this approach?This was an idea first started by HuffPost's Travis Waldron on the one-year anniversary of Colin Kaepernick protesting the anthem. He was able to collect the raw data from the Washington Post's incredible database that tracks these shootings and figure things out from there.
The idea for this new story was to go back into the data and pull out even more numbers, this time centering the story around the NFL's decision to outright ban the peaceful protest. The story was also to serve as yet another reminder of what the protests are about -- not disrespecting the flag, or anthem, or country -- but to draw awareness to police brutality and racial inequality, which is what the protests have always been about. What surprised you about the data results?In less than a year since our first story, the death toll increased by at least 155 black Americans, which is pretty jarring to see. What's more, the data only accounts for deaths by police gunfire, so other police killings (Eric Garner comes to mind) that were committed without firing a gun, would not be included. It's safe to say the numbers we've reported are actually much higher.What was most challenging about the reporting?Checking and double-checking the numbers. Using Waldron's methodology on the previous story, I downloaded WaPo's raw data, then meticulously went down the line starting from where Waldron left off. To keep track of victims, I opened a spreadsheet to write down each name of the victim, which are identified by factors including race, age, and location of the shooting. I then added Waldron's original number to mine. I ended up using two screens, one to scroll through the list of data, and the other to type names into the spreadsheet. This is a polarizing subject. What has reader reaction been to the story?Readers who get it, get it, you know? We have a large audience committed to social justice and who understand that black Americans tend to have it a lot tougher than white folks like me. The story is resonating with those people, for sure. But there are always trolls and downright racists trying to throw in their own false numbers. We get a ton of reader mail, and that sometimes brings out the worst in people. Take for instance this one: "Sounds like JUSTICE to me...Bunch of THUGS get what they gots commin."
So yeah, there's definitely a disconnect between people who want to learn something and racists who want to yell into the void. But they can keep yelling, it won't stop us. HuffPost is now a part of Oath and a part of Verizon. On May 25, 2018 we introduced a new Oath Privacy Policy which explains how your data is used and shared. Learn More.The internet's best stories, and interviews with the people who tell them. Like what you see? Forward it to a friend. Or sign up! Can't get enough? Check out our Morning Email. ©2018 HuffPost | 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003
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