Cases with Notable Media Involvement
Today the media's influence affects the outcomes of cases, and this is detrimental to a fair and impartial justice system. The media should be able to report the crime without establishing the guilt or innocence of the accused. Criminal cases cannot receive a fair trial when the media is involved. The media's involvement in criminal cases has influenced peoples' ability to pick a side somewhat. Although people may say that the media's opinion does not affect their decision and they can remain impartial, most people are swayed by the media's opinions. The media must not influence the law. When the criminal justice system can separate itself from media opinion, the judicial system will benefit and see more …show more content…
If public opinion is part of the process, it is allowing people to be found guilty before they can establish a defense and force the accused to have to prove their evidence against public opinion. In Anthony’s case, there was so much information about the case being broadcast that everyone had an opinion about her guilt and felt invested in the case. People should consider the fact that there are guidelines that protect all, from being prosecuted for a crime they did not commit. Cases in the media like Anthony’s that have grabbed the headlines and have shocked people sometimes tend to be exaggerated by the press. According to Soothill, Peelo, Pearson, and Francis (2010), "Some homicides totally dominate news coverage, while others receive much less attention if indeed any at all" (p. 1). The media frenzy surrounding Casey Anthony’s case may have affected the jury selection of the case and in turn the verdict of the case. With so much information and bias surrounding the case and so much public scrutiny, jurors were forced to take extreme caution in their judgment, deciding on a verdict that seemed too lenient to some viewers of the case. It was reported that many who were upset with the verdict gathered in front of the jail and people were angry and screamed "Baby Killer!" as the vehicle Anthony was in drove her away from the prison (Chuck, …show more content…
Unfortunately, the media created such a division that people began to fight over racial issues and not the facts of the case. A protest movement called "Black Lives Matter" arose from the incident. Individuals who had tried to erase racial bias were back to square one. The media loved the attention this case provided. The problem was that although the press was getting exposure in this case, people began to let their prejudice out, and obstacles that people thought they had overcome were front and center in the middle of this controversy that was created by the media. People let their anger do the talking and everything that people had learned throughout the years was set aside to let the anger and hate take over. People were divided on the case, and the media coverage surrounding it was focused on the racial issue that grew bigger and bigger; people were fighting, and things were getting ugly. The media did not help the situation; they used the problems to have more to discuss. The media tries to create issues out of cases that are nothing but a huge misunderstanding, and by the time the case has gone to court, the case has become a media circus. The case of Travon Martin was one of those cases turned into a circus for ratings and money. The media used people like puppets. When this case was finally in court, it
Today the media's influence affects the outcomes of cases, and this is detrimental to a fair and impartial justice system. The media should be able to report the crime without establishing the guilt or innocence of the accused. Criminal cases cannot receive a fair trial when the media is involved. The media's involvement in criminal cases has influenced peoples' ability to pick a side somewhat. Although people may say that the media's opinion does not affect their decision and they can remain impartial, most people are swayed by the media's opinions. The media must not influence the law. When the criminal justice system can separate itself from media opinion, the judicial system will benefit and see more …show more content…
If public opinion is part of the process, it is allowing people to be found guilty before they can establish a defense and force the accused to have to prove their evidence against public opinion. In Anthony’s case, there was so much information about the case being broadcast that everyone had an opinion about her guilt and felt invested in the case. People should consider the fact that there are guidelines that protect all, from being prosecuted for a crime they did not commit. Cases in the media like Anthony’s that have grabbed the headlines and have shocked people sometimes tend to be exaggerated by the press. According to Soothill, Peelo, Pearson, and Francis (2010), "Some homicides totally dominate news coverage, while others receive much less attention if indeed any at all" (p. 1). The media frenzy surrounding Casey Anthony’s case may have affected the jury selection of the case and in turn the verdict of the case. With so much information and bias surrounding the case and so much public scrutiny, jurors were forced to take extreme caution in their judgment, deciding on a verdict that seemed too lenient to some viewers of the case. It was reported that many who were upset with the verdict gathered in front of the jail and people were angry and screamed "Baby Killer!" as the vehicle Anthony was in drove her away from the prison (Chuck, …show more content…
Unfortunately, the media created such a division that people began to fight over racial issues and not the facts of the case. A protest movement called "Black Lives Matter" arose from the incident. Individuals who had tried to erase racial bias were back to square one. The media loved the attention this case provided. The problem was that although the press was getting exposure in this case, people began to let their prejudice out, and obstacles that people thought they had overcome were front and center in the middle of this controversy that was created by the media. People let their anger do the talking and everything that people had learned throughout the years was set aside to let the anger and hate take over. People were divided on the case, and the media coverage surrounding it was focused on the racial issue that grew bigger and bigger; people were fighting, and things were getting ugly. The media did not help the situation; they used the problems to have more to discuss. The media tries to create issues out of cases that are nothing but a huge misunderstanding, and by the time the case has gone to court, the case has become a media circus. The case of Travon Martin was one of those cases turned into a circus for ratings and money. The media used people like puppets. When this case was finally in court, it