An analysis of media reports on the Trayvon Martin shooting reveals how a local crime story became a national racial outrage. The incident happened on Feb. 26, 2012, and was primarily reported in local outlets. The first major national news report was on CBS This Morning on March 8, and did not mention race. The story did not take on a racial dimension until later that day, when the AP mistakenly identified the shooter as white (George Zimmerman is of mixed Hispanic descent). The racial claims were then repeated and amplified by other media outlets, including Gawker, which claimed the...