Wednesday, July 17, 2013

On George Zimmerman and Trial by Media

American media has a nasty habit of trying to sway our opinion, rather than reporting the facts. One may think I am giving George Zimmerman a free ride in saying this. I am not. I believe that only George Zimmerman knows what happens that night, and that the prosecution either did not have the evidence to convict, or did a horrible job of prosecuting him. However, I think that approaching something from a predestined outcome does no one any favors. But let's put Zimmerman aside for a moment.  Within the past couple of years, there have been at least 2 other incidents where the media has swayed public opinion.

The first of these was Casey Anthony. Whether you agree with the outcome or not (I actually don't based on...guess what...media coverage. Do you see the problem here yet?), one can't deny that the media played a large part in swaying public opinion. Before the trial even started, various outlets (including CNN and Nancy Grace) had already pronounced her guilty.

Another, more egregious example (egregious because it has a measurable impact on the public) is the Supreme Court case debating the constitutionality of Obamacare. For Obamacare, again, nearly every media outlet was convinced that it would be struck down. When Chief Justice John Roberts read the decision, both Fox News and CNN (I don't know about MSNBC) even jumped the gun and said it was unconstitutional. But the fact of the matter was, Obamacare was ruled Constitutional and legal. But the larger picture is the impression it left on the public. It had such a lasting impact that some citizens don't even know that it is law.

What is my main point? The main point is that the media, it seems to me, has 3 main responsibilities when covering cases of any sort:

1) Report the facts <-- Done
2) Discuss tactics used by Lawyers <-- done
3) Let us determine our opinion <--FAILED

It is the third one that is routinely ignored by the media. Jurors are supposed to be unbiased. Why can't the media, which ultimately plays a larger role of society's jury, do the same? It is truly no wonder why verdicts surprise most people these days, sometimes dangerously so!


No comments:

Post a Comment