Media Involvement in the Justice System
When the media becomes involved in the process and begins to express its opinion, people begin to see the media as a subject matter expert, blindly accepting the facts that the media presents as truth whether or not they are. Most people will believe and accept the facts that the media presents as truth. Crime has existed from the beginning of time itself; people have always committed crimes; however, the media has not always been involved. One of the first crimes in recorded history was in the Bible. When Cain killed his brother Able, there were no media there to provide a commentary on that offense. In fact, the media does not cover every crime. The media often covers only the types of crimes that …show more content…
However, media chooses which cases to cover depending on the high level of exposure they can expect from the case that becomes a way to intrude into the American criminal justice system. (Leisshman & Mason, 2003).
The media affects the criminal justice system on several different levels. The introduction of the press into the courtrooms was the first step in allowing the media to interfere with the criminal justice system. Today’s media record and report on some high-profile cases from inside the courtroom, sometimes offering a live feed of the courtroom with added media commentary (Leisshman & Mason, 2003). Mass media has also begun to police the police. The media has become very involved in the criminal judicial system and has scrutinized law enforcement for the way they handle their cases. The media has been able to influence the criminal justice system by expressing strong opinions about different cases. In some of those cases, the media has picked a side. People tend to pick sides depending on whom they believe; there are always two sides to every story. When the media chooses a side, the media opinion influences some people, and that makes the job of the criminal justice system more difficult. There are people who are swayed by media opinion, and that …show more content…
The media has a lot of influence on the criminal justice system, and that can affect the judicial system. It is understandable that the press has every right to report a story, but when did the American society become a society of guilty until proven innocent? The evidence and facts of a case should be the only factor in judging the case, so people should not allow the media to take on the role of the judge by predicting a person’s guilt or innocence while reporting on the case. A person is innocent until proven guilty. Part of the problem with the media is that it believes that its first amendment rights allow them to trample on people 's rights to be innocent until proven in a court of law beyond any reasonable doubt that they are guilty. In the justice system, shortcuts should not be taken, and allowing the media to take these shortcuts by expressing its opinion as a fact without hearing all of the evidence is detrimental to our justice
When the media becomes involved in the process and begins to express its opinion, people begin to see the media as a subject matter expert, blindly accepting the facts that the media presents as truth whether or not they are. Most people will believe and accept the facts that the media presents as truth. Crime has existed from the beginning of time itself; people have always committed crimes; however, the media has not always been involved. One of the first crimes in recorded history was in the Bible. When Cain killed his brother Able, there were no media there to provide a commentary on that offense. In fact, the media does not cover every crime. The media often covers only the types of crimes that …show more content…
However, media chooses which cases to cover depending on the high level of exposure they can expect from the case that becomes a way to intrude into the American criminal justice system. (Leisshman & Mason, 2003).
The media affects the criminal justice system on several different levels. The introduction of the press into the courtrooms was the first step in allowing the media to interfere with the criminal justice system. Today’s media record and report on some high-profile cases from inside the courtroom, sometimes offering a live feed of the courtroom with added media commentary (Leisshman & Mason, 2003). Mass media has also begun to police the police. The media has become very involved in the criminal judicial system and has scrutinized law enforcement for the way they handle their cases. The media has been able to influence the criminal justice system by expressing strong opinions about different cases. In some of those cases, the media has picked a side. People tend to pick sides depending on whom they believe; there are always two sides to every story. When the media chooses a side, the media opinion influences some people, and that makes the job of the criminal justice system more difficult. There are people who are swayed by media opinion, and that …show more content…
The media has a lot of influence on the criminal justice system, and that can affect the judicial system. It is understandable that the press has every right to report a story, but when did the American society become a society of guilty until proven innocent? The evidence and facts of a case should be the only factor in judging the case, so people should not allow the media to take on the role of the judge by predicting a person’s guilt or innocence while reporting on the case. A person is innocent until proven guilty. Part of the problem with the media is that it believes that its first amendment rights allow them to trample on people 's rights to be innocent until proven in a court of law beyond any reasonable doubt that they are guilty. In the justice system, shortcuts should not be taken, and allowing the media to take these shortcuts by expressing its opinion as a fact without hearing all of the evidence is detrimental to our justice