Twitter's Effects in the Judicial System Essay

CSI, Law and Order, Fox News, Making a Murderer, Nancy Grace and Cops: these shows have large audiences and high ratings, showing that western society is obsessed and mesmerized with crime and criminal activity. Crime and media go hand in hand, as the media frames crime as a major social problem, due to the lack of policy and policing certain behaviors. The media and the criminal justice system go together, like peanut butter and jelly, a sandwich of chaotic fruits and nuts. The media is quite concerned with policing, but much less about the court system, consequences, and the punishment received by the offender, devising misconceptions of the judicial processes. There are several different sociological perspectives pertaining to the media

Countless people have criticized Fox News and CNN for political bias, but recently outrage to media bias has resulted in lasting negative consequences far beyond years prior. Donald Trump has convinced a significant amount of his base to distrust the mainstream media, as evidenced by a Quinnipiac poll that reveals 5 in 10 likely voters believe the media is biased against him (Harper). This number jumps to an incredible 9 in 10 with Republicans. Trump supporters have refused to view media they perceive to be biased, even going so far to chant “CNN sucks!” at a rally in Pennsylvania (“10,000 Trump Supporters”). The resentment of a few news outlets affects not only those news outlets, but how the dissenters perceive the world as a whole. When

Media coverage of news events can be disseminated to the general public in any number of different ways and media biases often “reflects certain organizational and/or professional preferences or values” (Bennett 2011, 173). In fact, Lundman (2003) points out “that journalists assess the newsworthiness of homicides occurrences using the relative frequency of particular types of murders and how well specific murder occurrences mesh with stereotypical race and gender typifications (357).” In addition, Johnson (2012) felt that the real job of media was to “create a message that…grabs public attention (62).” In other words, can the media grab the public’s attention and hold it?

In the study, each source was ranked based on the political leanings of its audience. As a result, it ranked sources such as Buzzfeed more liberal than average while it ranked sources such as the Rush Limbaugh Show more conservative than average. However, none of the sources earned a perfectly neutral ranking (Wormald). The correlation between news sources and their audience’s political leanings becomes interesting when compared to the type of content each news source produces. Rush Limbaugh, for example, is infamous for his conservative rhetoric, whereas Buzzfeed is known for its lighthearted quizzes and comical representation of liberal politics. This reveals something about our perception of truth: biased sources allow individuals to ‘select’ the truth. When conflicting information is pushed to the side, it becomes nonexistent. Subsequently, the sum of partial truths interpreted by an individual becomes a whole truth in their mind, especially when partial truths are reinforced by mainstream media sources such as Buzzfeed or the Rush Limbaugh Show. This is harmful because, as Lewis implied, the entire truth is lost in this process and mutual understanding becomes harder to

This can cause serious problems within the criminal justice system. Social media plays a massive role in the way that news is allocated within society. However, because of this large role it plays, it also interferes with the investigation and results of a particular criminal action. One can imagine how swiftly he or she learned about the horrific shooting incident that happened in Sandy Hook Elementary School or the unfortunate killing of Trayvon Martin and how George Zimmerman was prosecuted based on the public’s online response.

The tendency of the news media to over sensationalize criminal activity, understate or misstate the facts and play on the emotions of society in the name of ratings can create bias and, therefore, has the potential to negatively affect the individuals involved and sway the outcome of investigations and trials. As indicated in the Caylee Anthony case, “Googling the Anthony case on

Though the misinterpretation and ignorance of honest news through perceptual bias is formed by individuals, it’s a shame that the remaining three-fourths of bias is deliberately carried out by reporters and journalists themselves. The main issue at hand is that journalists today feel that their own opinions are correct and superior to others; therefore, they are sure to only circulate information that will get citizens to see things their way, as opposed to giving an honest, impartial version of the truth. When asked if today’s media influences the opinions of citizens for better or for worse, Shane McNabb, a fellow news consumer, explains that “media outlets influence people when they have obvious biases. They tell you only what they want you to hear, and often out of context. This is often the case for both liberal and conservative outlets, and people end up either not knowing what to believe or taking on the opinion of the biased outlet”

Kaye is the professor in the School of Journalism & Electronic Media at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. She studies the effects media has on consumers and how they use new technologies to get their information. Thomas J. Johnson got his Ph.D. at the University of Washington and he researches how people’s political attitudes and behaviors are affected by digital and social media. The topic discussed in the article is the influence media platforms have on the public’s interpretation on politics, which are the areas of expertise and research that the two authors work on. Kaye studies the technologies behind presenting information and Johnson studies the effects media can have on people’s attitudes and behaviors. This validates them both as credible sources. The article is published in a journal that specifically discusses broadcasting and electronic media, which also acts as the authors’ targeted audience––people familiar and interested in broadcasting and media. This is interesting, when the article talks about how some people can be tunnel visioned into believing only some sources and exposes the audience they’re writing

The images portrayed in the media: spoken, written, or visual all have an effect on social constructions, reality and perceptions of the public, and policies of the criminal justice system (Collins, 2011). In today’s society, the public lives of individuals are inundated with media. At any time there are news stories being introduced to the public audience via television, radio, and new media (Surette, 2015). The new media sources are accessible from anywhere via laptops, tablets, and smartphones. The general public is receiving media stories from posts, tweets, blogs, and news websites. Because of this mass market of competing internet news sources, there has been a decline in the newspaper and television audience, resulting in a decrease of the subject content covered by reporters (Gest, 2010). So what

Being in law enforcement it is very important to have an effective relationship with the community so that public safety is maintained and effective policing is conducted. Unfortunately, one of the biggest issues that have made it difficult for years to have an effective relationship with the community is that the a lot of people in the community believe that police are misusing their power by using excessive force and unlawful actions against people. Social media has also played a big role in making it difficult for people to trust law enforcement due to the fact that anything can be posted at anytime. Trying to rebuild the relationship with the community is very important to overcome the lost faith the community has and to show them that law enforcement is

For persuasion one has to convince the audience that a certain point of view is correct when put against others. Politicians, leaders, and other individuals of power use the media to influence the viewers. A rather powerful tool, if used the right way, it can gather thousands upon thousands of followers. The media’s role in political affair is very crucial: it can make or break the candidate. Certain television networks as well as other news websites on the internet give individuals the platform to express specific viewpoints. Media plays an important and powerful role in America. Millions of Americans view the news and form opinions based upon what they hear, see, or read in the media. The media should present their news in an unbiased way

Throughout the years the relationship between crime and the media has been a matter of reoccurring controversy. Society as a whole consumes media in different forms, if it is from the television, radio, newspaper, or the Internet. A few individuals within society are aware of potential biases within the construction and the reporting of news stories from the media. All forms of news, no matter which source it originated from, will have a constructed newsworthy quality. There are many important reasons for why just one story is chosen for coverage when others are not. According to Reiner, Livingstone and Allen, they stated, “Events that appear to disrupt expectations [or are] deviant occurrences are the stuff of news” (Reiner et al. 2003 page

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 of the Agenda Setting Theory. This paper will analyze the role the theory has in the murder trial. Television news outlets support this theory by showing people the Simpson case was important through constant coverage, but was not successful at telling the audience what to think on the issue.

Every single day there are crimes committed across the country, and every single day courts convene to determine who was the guilt or innocence of the people involved with the crimes. Courts require evidence and testimonies to convict an individual of a crime. The American Justice System is normally a successful system however; there are times when the system has difficulties operating to its fullest. Many of these difficulties occur when courts interact with media, specifically journalists. The court can often use information released by journalists as evidence; however, for the information to be usable a journalist must confess his or her sources. Yet, many journalists will not divulge their sources, creating difficulties for the court

Media representation of crimes, stories are seen appropriate in modern society as it is a media driven society, generally the media reporting on the figures and crimes are worded and attempted to attract the publics attention for financial purposes of the media outlets such as e.g. newspapers, television, radio, social networking apps, sites. Media houses tend to be seen as the eyes and ears of the public reporting back on any findings during the various stages of the criminal justice process.