7. Exploiting a News story

 

"Trial by Media" and the creation of Villain narratives

    In every story that is told there is always a hero and a villain. However, when the media takes a story and creates a villain narrative out of it, it can cause extensive amounts of harm.  A villain narrative happens when the media takes liberties with news stories. The media may try to frame a person for a tragedy, use selective facts, or trying to simplify a complex story into a simple "hero vs villain". By media outlets portraying individuals as villains, it can interfere with the justice process and could lead to "trail by media". Trail by media is defined as when "extensive media coverage of an individual can influence and manipulate public perception of a criminal case before, or after, a verdict has been reached in court." This has caused concerns about the impact the media has on criminal proceedings and about a jury's impartiality. 

    One case in which the medias need to point fingers and create a villain caused an interference in the justice system is the Amanda Knox case in 2007. Knox was an American student studying abroad in Italy. She was falsely accused of murdering Meredith Kercher. The Italian press and international media produced negative stories concerning Knox's personal life. After being labeled "Foxy Knoxy" by the media it is safe to say that her reputation was in ruins by the time the trail rolled around. Ultimately, Knox was convicted and served over four years in prison before being acquitted. Like any event that gains national, and especially international, attention the events of the case were turned into a series on Hulu called "The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox." 

    A recent example of a media outlet creating a villain narrative was in 2022 when CNN was sued by U.S. Navy Veteran, Zachary Young, for defamation. In a segment called "The Lead with Jake Tapper" CNN branded Young as a villain trying to profit off of desperate Afghans trying to escape Afghanistan after the U.S. military withdrew in 2021. Young claimed that CNN had ruined his reputation and how they had depicted his efforts was not accurate. CNN went as far to describe Young's work as a "black market" and that "exorbitant" and "impossible" fees were being charged for evacuations. In reality Young works as a "security consultant helping corporations and charities extract people from Afghanistan" after the Taliban gained control of the country. Ultimately CNN and Young reached a settlement of $5 million in damages. 

    While the media holds a great power in the forming of societies opinions. Number analytics states "The way a case is reported can significantly influence how the public perceives the accused, the victims, and the justice system as a whole." Through pre-trial publicity, public pressure, and witness intimidation trail by media can lead to serious interferences with the justice system. These interferences for example could be the jurors being swayed leading to a verdict that is based on media opinion versus the evidence presented in court. A judge may also be influenced to give a harsher or more lenient sentence based on what the public believes. 

    In conclusion, the media plays a crucial role in the justice system. It can have role that brings harm and interference, or it can bring transparency and accountability. Number analytics also stated, " As we move forward in an increasingly complex media landscape, it is essential to consider the implications of Trial by Media and to strive for a more nuanced understanding of its impact."