In this era of invasive and often insidious media scrutiny, I am astounded that virtually no major media outlet has investigated the brutal murder of 13-year-old Jesse Dirkhising.

I recently detailed the particulars of this murder in my weekly Falwell Confidential commentary. I was amazed by the response of my readers who indicated they had not even heard of this case. Of course, WorldNetDaily readers have had the opportunity to learn of this disturbing murder because Joseph Farah was one of the first to fearlessly document this case.

However, Americans who don't regularly visit Joseph's excellent news service, have no idea that this terrible -- and I believe significant -- murder ever happened. Here is a brief synopsis of this horrifying murder: In September, Joshua Brown, 22, repeatedly raped young Jesse Dirkhising while Davis Carpenter Jr., 38, his gay lover, watched. After brutalizing Jesse for several hours, Brown decided it was time for lunch. He took the boy's underwear and stuffed them in his mouth, apparently to ensure Jesse's silence. Brown then sealed the boy's mouth shut with duct tape. Carpenter later noticed that Jesse was not breathing and called 911. When police arrived, they discovered drugs that were allegedly used to suppress the young man. They also discovered Jesse's body -- the apparent victim of positional asphyxia, the inability to breathe in a restrictive position.

This young man suffered a terrible, almost unimaginable, death. And his death was swept under the proverbial rug by the nation's media.

The Media's Odious Silence

Furthering this tragedy is the fact that the truth of the Dirkhising murder has been prevented from reaching the ears of our fellow Americans. Do Americans not have the right to hear the truth in such a case? I cannot help but wonder if there is political motivation in the apparent conspiracy of silence regarding this young man's death.

My friend Brent Bozell recently penned a commentary in which he said, "Had Jesse Dirkhising been shot inside his Arkansas school, he would have been an immediate national news story. Had he been openly gay and his attackers heterosexual, the crime would have led all the networks. But no liberal media outlet would dare be the first to tell a grisly murder story which has as its villains two gay men."

I would add this: Had Jesse Dirkhising's assassins been two evangelical pastors, or two Catholic priests, or two Christian school teachers -- instead of two homosexual men -- Jesse Dirkhising's name, as well as the names of his killers, would be on the tip of every American's tongue. The names of the assassins would be as well known as Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris.

Conversely, the homosexual-rights community has decorated Mathew Shepard, the victim of two barbarians, as a hero. I agree that Shepard's death was terribly senseless and tragic. The men who murdered him deserve to be punished to the fullest extent of the law. Yet, while the media continually focuses on Mathew Shepard, Jesse Dirkhising is shamefully disregarded. But the young man's death was no less significant than Mathew Shepard's. David Smith of the Human Rights Campaign recently complained that the Dirkhising murder "has nothing to do with gay people."

He's wrong. The cover-up of Jesse Dirkhising's murder is an indictment of our nation's media for its attempt to shape the ideas of our nation. The media is covering up this terrible murder because it carries negative political ramifications for one group of protected Americans. The truth, as a result, is left out in the cold.

While homosexual-rights groups press for "hate crimes" legislation, the media is, by all indications, bending over backward not to hinder those efforts. Network television series are flooded with positive homosexual portrayals. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation has identified 28 homosexual characters that have appeared on prime time during the current season. Compare that to the depictions of most religious characters, which are portrayed as Fred Phelps-types of callous and insensitive bullies.

This is a blatant misinformation campaign. And it is a double-edged sword when one merges the disregard of the Jesse Dirkhising story to the network indoctrination of the nation.

The Silent Victims

Untold numbers of children daily suffer at the hand of adults blinded by selfish and dangerous desires. Here in Central Virginia, Sheriff Mike Brown has spearheaded the effort to apprehend child pornographers and child molesters.

Brown's deputies often pose as children on the Internet in order to make contact with real-life pedophiles. The officers set up meeting places with these individuals and subsequently arrest them. Sheriff Brown has told me that the seduction of children across our land is in epidemic proportions. He and his deputies have arrested a host of perpetrators -- one of whom once served as the chief of staff of a former West Virginia governor!

When one considers the "epidemic" of pedophilia plaguing our nation, it becomes further troubling as to why the national media has ignored Jesse Dirkhising's murder. This young man's tragic death could be used to inform parents -- and children -- of the malicious intent of these individuals who have targeted children to satisfy their evil desires. That is a story of great importance to families everywhere.

Jesse Dirkhising's death is one of the most troubling events of this year. It is further disconcerting when we see how his death is being ignored by a media that will typically stop at nothing to uncover such a shocking story.

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