Media coverage High profile cases – High profile cases which

Media coverage High profile cases
High profile cases which receive a lot of publicity and media attention have a disproportionate impact on the public’s perception of the criminal justice system. They tend to leave the public with the erroneous conception that such cases are the norm, rather than the exception. TV crime dramas and the news media tend to perpetuate this misconception. In reality, most criminal cases are rather mundane and boring, and seldom even go to trial.
The Jodi Arias case, which took place in Phoenix, Arizona, captured the imagination of the country. “Groupies” traveled to Phoenix from all over the country hoping to observe the proceedings. Most of them were relegated to a room off the lobby of the courthouse, where they could watch a real time, a closed-circuit video feed of the trial because most of the seats in the actual courtroom were allocated to various media types who frantically tweeted out the developments.
The case had all of the salacious elements that appeal to many of the viewing public – sex, violence, and attractive “characters.” There are so many videos about the case on the internet that I was hard pressed to just select a couple.
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How do you think the highly publicized and high profile cases affect the public’s feelings about crime and the criminal justice system in general? Why? Do you believe the media intentionally misrepresents or distorts the problem of crime to generate ratings? Why or why not? Do you believe media and politicians prey on certain people’s fear of crime? Why or why not?