There was essentially no national news coverage to speak of. Neither Matthew Shepard nor Jesse Carpenter deserved their fates at the hands of vicious criminals. However, Shepard's death played into the hands of those who wish to portray homosexuals as victims where Dirkhising's did not. News events in support of the national media's agenda are given more play. This is not necessarily an evil, mean-spirited, or conspiratorial exercise.
News organizations ought to exercise discernment.
The more conscientious a news organization, the more carefully it will select which news to present, which news events are important, which news items the citizens need to know nationally. Consciously or unconsciously, these decisions will reflect the agenda, biases, and beliefs of the news organization. Some news organizations publish or air the sensational. In these cases, the media reflect the lowest biases and interests of the public, rather than their own. Whether the media provide us the sensational or what they consider the news, no one should be under the illusion that there are absolute news standards that the national media cling to.