A viral video of two University of Mississippi students making alleged monkey gestures and noises outside the apartment of three Black students has received widespread media attention. However, social media users have questioned the extent of this coverage.
Many netizens have compared the attention given to the video with the coverage of 19-year-old cheerleader Giana Dettloff's death in a mass shooting over Halloween weekend in Illinois. The shooting left eight others injured, including five White and three Black victims.
One social media user asked, 'How in the hell is this a national story?' Another argued that the media appeared more interested in a racial controversy than in the death of a young woman.
Apparently, White college girls making monkey noises was a bigger story than a White college girl being shot to death by a pack of blacks. https://t.co/FKGjljoaRR
— Pol Atreides (@Aliathewhite) November 10, 2026
Ole Miss Video Draws National Attention
The footage showed two white women making monkey-like gestures and noises outside an apartment occupied by three Black University of Mississippi students. A third woman was present but did not participate.
One of the women, 18-year-old Alaina Kunes, apologised for her behaviour, describing it as 'insensitive, inappropriate, and deeply harmful'. She voluntarily withdrew from the university on 10 November.
The university condemned the incident and initiated an investigation. Subsequently, the three targeted students, Jakiyra Metcalf, Victoria Johnson, and Kaiyden Caldwell, spoke to CBS News about the incident.
Metcalf told the outlet that the students approached the women to ask why they were making the gestures. Roommate Johnson recalled that one woman claimed they had targeted four doors. However, Johnson believes that only their apartment was targeted.
'Before the incident on 6 November, I never met the women involved and was unaware of their race, however, I recognise my actions were insensitive, inappropriate, and deeply harmful,' Kunes said in a statement.
'I would have never intentionally made those noises or gestures toward a person of colour. I have apologised to the women and I pray they will forgive me.'
'A Sweet Girl With a Very Bright Future'
Dettloff, a 19-year-old freshman and cheerleader at North Central College, was among nine people shot at an off-campus Halloween party in Bloomington, Illinois, on 1 November. She was visiting a friend near Illinois Wesleyan University at the time of the shooting.
According to a 2 November report by Lauren Warnecke for WGLT, Bloomington Police Chief Jamal Simington stated that witnesses described the suspected shooter or shooters as Black males. He also confirmed that six of the nine victims were Caucasian and three were African American.
As of 7 November, police had not taken any suspects into custody or determined the number of individuals involved. Dettloff's death prompted tributes from North Central College and her former cheerleading community. Simington described her as 'full of life, a sweet girl with a very bright future'.
'For a parent, sending a child off to college is filled with pride, hope, and excitement for the journey ahead,' Simington said. 'To have that journey cut short in such a tragic way is a parent's worst nightmare. Our hearts are with Giana's family, friends, and everyone impacted by this tragedy.'
Social Media Users Question Media Priorities
Some social media users used the two incidents to question media coverage. One user argued that media outlets had devoted more attention to the Ole Miss incident than to Dettloff's death.
Another user questioned why the incident had received national attention, writing, 'How in the hell is this a national story? 3 white girls acting silly, randomly doing stupid things, and it becomes a national moral panic???'
How in the hell is this a national story?
— Emerald Apple (@AI_EmeraldApple) November 11, 2026
3 white girls acting silly, randomly doing stupid things, and it becomes a national moral panic???
A third commenter disputed allegations that the conduct was racially motivated, writing: 'They did it to multiple other doors without knowing the race of anyone involved. How is making noises at doors racist if a person has never met the person living below them, has no idea what their race is, and did it to every Ring camera they saw?'
They did it to multiple other doors without knowing the race of anyone involved. How is making noises at doors racist if a person has never met the person living below them, has no idea what their race is, and did it to every ring camera they saw?
— B1G23 (@B1G_23) November 11, 2026
The debate extended beyond the Ole Miss incident itself to questions about media priorities. The contrasting reactions reflect a broader discussion on social media about news values, race and the types of stories that receive sustained national coverage.
