An analysis of the public’s perception of the effect of the media’s coverage of serious crimes and incidents.
This paper explores how the media can positively affect criminal investigations as much as it can hinder the investigations. It looks at how copycat crimes can possibly be created based on the amount of publicity a crime receives and the ensuing sensationalism. Twenty adults are interviewed with a questionnaire in an attempt to gather information concerning the public’s perception of the effect of the media’s coverage of serious crimes and incidents.
“In his essay, “Courts and the Media,” Charles S. Clark points towards the massive publicity of the O.J. Simpson trial, as the event that renewed an old debate, between the Constitution and the media. Clark suggests that the integrity of the first and sixth amendments is coming into question in the media. The first amendment guarantees, the freedom of speech and the freedom of the press, while the sixth amendment guarantees a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury. How can a person get a fair trial when, the media is always willing to exploit high profile court cases, and the Constitution comes into play?”