Trial By Media Essay - 1412 Words

A crime is an act punishable by the state that causes harm or discontent against a community or individual. Crime is known to be â€Å"an action or omission that constitutes an offense that may be prosecuted by the state and is punishable by law†1. Crime can be classified through a variety of elements which violate the rights of a community at large. Acts of crime are punishable upon proof of guilt that are presented in the court of law. Consequently, criminal law is the law which defines these crimes and may aid or establish their subsequent punishments. These criminal laws are enforced through criminal procedures and trials. These trials however, can be influenced, corrected, and sometimes even regulated by the media. This creates a strong†¦show more content†¦Technological advances have increased dramatically in the later 20th and early 21st century, therefore this can be the cause for the popularity of trial by media within Australian contemporary society. Televis ion, internet and newspaper coverage and access of selected information is the large cause of trial by media issues, creating a debate between the idea of freedom of speech and the right to privacy. The subject area of trial by media, can be found within the Defamation Act (NSW) 2005, where inappropriate publication can harm the reputation of another person. In 2005 child molester Dennis Ferguson was charged and sentenced of child molestation. The immense amount of media coverage expressed on the case prevented his chance at a fair trial. This caused for a â€Å"bench trial† with the absence of a jury and he was therefore released on the precedent for the need of proof beyond reasonable doubt. However, due to trial by media, the name of Dennis Ferguson had been defamed within society and the image portrayed by the media was detrimental to his safety and he was forced to flee various Queensland towns. Abuse however, did not end, causing more attention to the influence of the media on trials as people heard of his new location and â€Å"the police were called after 60 people began chanting anti-Ferguson slogans†2. This The mediaShow MoreRelatedTrial by Media14404 Words   |  58 PagesIntroductory The subject of ‘Trial by Media’ is discussed by civil rights activists, Constitutional lawyers, judges and academics almost every day in recent times. With the coming into being of the television and cable-channels, the amount of publicity which any crime or suspect or accused gets in the media has reached alarming proportions. Innocents may be condemned for no reason or those who are guilty may not get a fair trial or may get a higher sentence after trial than they deserved. There appearsRead MoreEssay about Trial by Media1445 Words   |  6 PagesTrial by Media With 27 million newspapers bought and 99 percent of the adult population watching an average of 2 ½ hours of television every day, the British Media (mass media) has a massive audience. Since the 1920s, sociological research has been conducted on the basis of concerns about the potentially negative influence over the media consuming public. Early research conducted by the Payne Fund studies found that the mass media had a powerful effect over itsRead MorePositive Outome of Media Coverage of Criminal Trials in India768 Words   |  3 PagesIn India, the growing phenomenon of activist media coverage of criminal trials has seen some positive outcomes. It is even arguable that until India’s rotten criminal justice system is reformed, the judiciary must tolerate journalistic vigilantism. A journalist must not be given an absolute free reign to wantonly declare an accused person as innocent or guilty. Any institution, be it legislature, executive, judiciary or bureaucracy, is liable to be abused if it exceeds its legitimate jurisdictionRead MoreWhat Are The Methods Used To Analyze The Results Of The PREDIMED Trial?941 Words   |  4 PagesSome of the methods used to analyze the results of the PREDIMED trial includes Cox proportional-hazard modeling to compute hazard ratios for each Mediterranean diet and the control group outcomes.3 The hazard ratios for the primary endpoints were 0.70 (95% confidence interval [CI]:0.53 – 0.91) for both Mediterranean with EVOO and 0.70 (95% CI:0.53 – 0.94) for the Mediterranean diet with mixed nuts, where a ratio that is 1 is interpreted an unlikely rate that the primary endpoint will occur.3 TheRead MorePositive and Negative Publicity in a Case Trial1295 Words   |  5 PagesMedia publishes both positive and negative aspects regarding a criminal case, and with Milats’ case, the media focused highly on negative publicity. As Ruva, Geunther and Yarbrough had found that both positive and negative media realises can influence the jury in different ways, it provided an understanding into the different types of media representation surrounding a case. The different types of media representation will influence ones memory, and pre-trial publicity can cause errors in judgementRead MoreSensationalizing Criminal Activity in the Media934 Words   |  4 PagesThe media constantly reports on criminal activity and crime as a whole within our community in which it has every right to do. However, the media often sensationalises crime in order to create ‘moral panic’ within the community, using it as a way to control how the public perceives current community issues. ‘Some people may be led to a â€Å"blind† acceptance of the â€Å"reality† of such presentations as constructed by the media’ (Crime and Justice, 2012, Pg. 63) Because a majority of the public have minimalRead MoreThe Trial Of The Simpson Case1214 Words   |  5 PagesOn several accounts, the trial of the O.J. Simpson case illustrates the idea of media events. The first account is about the O.J. Simpson trial intriguing a vast audience group who simultaneously viewed the occasion in a festive style. (Couldry and Katz 2010, p. 2) According to Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, ‘Everyone shall be entitled to a fair and public hearing by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal established by law.’ (UN General AssemblyRead MoreThe Media s Influence On Media Essay1606 Words   |  7 PagesLusby English composition 12/1/2016 The Media s Influence    Can the media really persuade you into thinking a way about a person you have not even meet? The media can make influence you into thinking a certain way about some and also influence a choice that you could have to make about them that could change their life forever. To prove this I have researched into articles that could help me prove that the media can influence these things. First the media in the form of television can give you aRead MoreAarushi Talwar s Murder Case1066 Words   |  5 PagesAarushi Talwar Murder Case In May 2008, the media, both electronic and print, were flooded with reports of the murder of thirteen year old Aarushi Talwar in the suburbs of Nodia. It was given its due from the press. Everyone was confused and was searching for numerous mysterious questions that were answered. This is a natural human reaction in such circumstances but in this age of connectivity and the number of news channels, blogs and internet sites the murder transformed into a macabre and voyeuristicRead MoreThe Trial Of Simpson : An Agenda Setting Analysis1508 Words   |  7 Pages The Trial of O.J. Simpson: An Agenda-Setting Analysis Mariah Short University of Kentuckyâ€Æ' The Trial of O.J. Simpson: An Agenda-Setting Analysis During the infamous O.J. Simpson trial the television news media was ever present. Placing the trial as a top news story set in motion the idea that this trial was an important issue. However, the television news media was not successful at determining whether O.J. was guilty or not. For this reason, the O.J. Simpson trial is an excellent example