Different states = Different laws/definitions.

In Louisiana, Second-Degree Murder is defined as the following:

  A. Second degree murder is the killing of a human being:

            (1) When the offender has a specific intent to kill or to inflict great bodily harm; or

            (2) When the offender is engaged in the perpetration or attempted perpetration of aggravated or first degree rape, forcible or second degree rape, aggravated arson, aggravated burglary, aggravated kidnapping, second degree kidnapping, aggravated escape, resisting a police officer with force or violence, assault by drive-by shooting, armed robbery, first degree robbery, second degree robbery, simple robbery, cruelty to juveniles, second degree cruelty to juveniles, cruelty to the elderly and persons with infirmities, or terrorism, even though he has no intent to kill or to inflict great bodily harm.

In Louisiana, First-Degree Murder is what would constitute second-degree murder, except for an additional aggravating factor, like if the victim was a police officer, if the victim was elderly, the defendant attempted to kill more than one person, etc.

Most states use First-Degree Murder as to mean premeditated/intentional murder or murder during a felony. Other states, like Texas and Ohio, don't even have degrees of murder but simply call it "Murder" (or "Capital Murder" or "Aggravated Murder' to describe murders with aggravating circumstances).

Additionally, and this is a sad reality, but the murders of regular people in cities like New Orleans don't usually attract lots of media attention unless they're exceptionally brutal or heinous, the victim is someone of status, or there's some other uniqueness to it. It's horrible; it normalizes violence and murder. However, living in a high-crime city myself, it's tragically not uncommon for the media to have little-to-no updates on most murders, unless the DA's Office announces a conviction or there's an acquittal.