In “The Politics of Negotiating Public Tragedy: Media Framing of the Matthew Shepard Murder,” authors Brian L. Ott and Eric Aoki analyze the Matthew Shepard case, discussing how the media was able to alleviate the blame from the public surrounding the case and clear the public of any guilt. Additionally, the pair address the stigmatization of the LGBTQ+ community, and how this stigmatization delays efforts to prevent similar situations. Within the article, the authors provide insight that is surprising, puzzling, useful, new, and interesting.
Within the article, Ott and Aoki discuss how the narrative of the story was shifted to relieve the public of any guilt or blame and isolate the pair responsible for the murder of Matthew Shepard, Aaron …show more content…
In the article, the authors bring up the question of why the Matthew Shepard case became a national news story, opposed to other hate crimes that had occirred against the LGBTQ+ community. The authors point out that there were nearly 27 LGBTQ+ related hate crimes which resulted in death, however, none broke into the national news sphere in the manner that the Matthew Shepard case did (Ott & Aoki 489). The authors accredit this circumstance to the fact that Matthew Shepard was able to be ‘normalized’ into the everyday boy next door type of character, white, young, and middle-class. Matthew Shepard’s persona was an easier sell to the American people, and due to his adherence to what appeared to be ‘normal,’ the public was able to excuse what made him different, his …show more content…
In the past, I have done outside reading on the Matthew Shepard case, including reading the book written by Judy Shepard, “The Meaning of Matthew.” Within the book, several details of the murder were brought to attention, including the fact that the ‘gay panic’ defense was attempted on the defense side and was not allowed, even though the defense had been used in trials with similar situations. Additionally, I was aware of certain media portrayals of the murder, as well as much of the background surrounding the case. Because of my previous knowledge, I was able to connect aspects of the case to further my understanding of how both the media, the public, and the Shepard family reacted to various aspects of the case. Following the reading of the article, I am able to further understand how and why the Sheppard case played out in the way it did, as well as the larger cultural and societal implications that the case has carried with
Within the article, Ott and Aoki discuss how the narrative of the story was shifted to relieve the public of any guilt or blame and isolate the pair responsible for the murder of Matthew Shepard, Aaron …show more content…
In the article, the authors bring up the question of why the Matthew Shepard case became a national news story, opposed to other hate crimes that had occirred against the LGBTQ+ community. The authors point out that there were nearly 27 LGBTQ+ related hate crimes which resulted in death, however, none broke into the national news sphere in the manner that the Matthew Shepard case did (Ott & Aoki 489). The authors accredit this circumstance to the fact that Matthew Shepard was able to be ‘normalized’ into the everyday boy next door type of character, white, young, and middle-class. Matthew Shepard’s persona was an easier sell to the American people, and due to his adherence to what appeared to be ‘normal,’ the public was able to excuse what made him different, his …show more content…
In the past, I have done outside reading on the Matthew Shepard case, including reading the book written by Judy Shepard, “The Meaning of Matthew.” Within the book, several details of the murder were brought to attention, including the fact that the ‘gay panic’ defense was attempted on the defense side and was not allowed, even though the defense had been used in trials with similar situations. Additionally, I was aware of certain media portrayals of the murder, as well as much of the background surrounding the case. Because of my previous knowledge, I was able to connect aspects of the case to further my understanding of how both the media, the public, and the Shepard family reacted to various aspects of the case. Following the reading of the article, I am able to further understand how and why the Sheppard case played out in the way it did, as well as the larger cultural and societal implications that the case has carried with