Media Coverage

An avocation of mine is reading newspaper articles, even though for the most part its bad news, I generally think its important news, news which I should know and not avoid. I have always been aggravated by the fact that when I am reading an article, in the back of my mind I always try tell myself not to believe it just because I read it. Furthermore I tend to be a fastidious reader; my favourite world news newspaper has been The Guardian for a long time, back in Malta I used to stick to The Times of Malta. I fear tabloid newspapers and their ability to distort the truth. In fact spread on the bar where I work, every day without fail, lay the latest copy of The Sun, The Daily Mirror and The Daily Mail, but regardless of how interesting their front page story may seem, I refuse to read their articles and this is because I know that something in there is potentially going to be fed to my brain and stick even though I don’t want it to, on the grounds of their reputation.
With the intention of keeping up to date with what is going on in Malta I now read The Times of Malta online. Today as I scrolled down the list of latest headlines with thumbnail photos adjacent, I was stopped in my tracks by a specific article. It was not the subject matter which affected me, it was the tiny photograph I could see placed next to the headline, ‘Maximilian Ciantar re-arrested after Attorney-General's appeal’. I clicked on the link to open the article and before even getting a chance to read it, I am faced with a large poor quality image of a man sat on a leather couch, eyes lowered, not looking at the camera as he takes in a drag from his cigarette. Perhaps it’s just me, but I can’t help but thinking this picture is absolutely ridiculous. Prior to reading the article I felt irritated, I didn’t yet know anything about Maximilian Ciantar, but The Times of Malta seemed to essentially be advancing my comprehension by illuminating that fact that he’s bad with this nonsensical, essentially gangster like photo. I read through the short article and found the first sentence of the fifth paragraph most interesting; ‘Dr Joe Brincat, who is appearing for Mr Ciantar, said this case had been sensationalised by the media and the charges were not serious enough to merit his client being kept behind bars.’ In addition, I scrolled down to read reader’s comments, which although I never leave myself, I can’t help but mentally judge most of the ones I read, it’s almost impossible not to. Nevertheless, as expected, everyone basically hated Mr. Ciantar.

Below are two examples of reader’s comments.
Zagroma Savrene
Today, 16:14
Just throw him in a cell or something, I'm bored of hearing about stuff this wanna be tough guy is doing.
R Axisa
Today, 17:54
Jien tghallimt li ghal kull att li taghmel hemm konsegwenza, sew fit-tajjeb u sew fil-hazin. Imma f'dal-kaz, il-konsegwenzi ma ezistewx.
Translation:
I learnt that for everything you do in life there are consequences, which go for what you do that is good and what you do that is bad. However in this case no consequences existed.

This article got me thinking, this happens all the time and I am never surprised by the public reaction. The concept of ‘innocent until proven guilty’ doesn’t seem to generally exist amongst the public. Moreover, when a girl shouts ‘rape’ we automatically point our finger and shout ‘rapist’ and even if the accused’s charges are dropped, that one indictment can follow them forever. As strongly as I believe in the power of information, I certainly believe there are flaws in the system which are potentially sabotaging the lives of innocent people. To an even worse extreme, I started to think about individuals who have been labelled as the ‘bad guy’ by the media and then have to face a jury in court, I think it’s alarming to consider how many innocent people are sent to prison when they are conceivably innocent, yet their argument has been lost within the turmoil of the reputation the media has built for them.

Subsequently I began to read up on how media coverage can affect court cases. The first article I read extended the dispute even further. The article entitled ‘Children in African Communities put at risk by inaccurate media reports’, discusses how fallacious media reporting on child abuse in Africa ‘will put children at greater risk by driving the practice underground…’ (McCormack, H). Furthermore the media had been reporting allegations from a leaked police report as fact, this characterizes the African community and further alienates them from the rest of the world altogether. Suddenly we begin to think all children in Africa are in danger and we believe this based on media reports. McCormack makes a worthy comparison when she makes mention of the consequence of media coverage post 9/11. Suddenly, much of the western world who previously did not have much of an opinion on the Muslim nation would automatically think ‘terrorist’ at the mention of the word Muslim. This reminded me of a conversation I had one evening a couple months ago. I was in a bar having a few drinks and made a visit to the smoking area, possibly one of the most conversational places ever, where tipsy/drunk strangers fall into discussion. My one cigarette multiplied itself into about five as I met two guys from Afghanistan and we began to drunkenly debate political issues. The conversation deviated itself to their position in western society. They bemoaned the fact that when people look at them or listen to them speak in their language they often receive antagonistic responses. Perhaps the most unfortunate part of this is not that they felt this way, but that I was in no way shocked, this was a mundane truth which has developed and worsened over the years. I could not tell them they were being paranoid, it was true. The media had taken the small population of extremists and expanded it over the entire Muslim population. Suddenly the religious chant ‘Allah hu akbar’, simply meaning God is greater, became the chants of terrorists to an evil God, leading to countless Allah hu akbar terrorist jokes and the word terrorist itself being used so many times by the media it’s somewhat banal now.

Going back to court cases, I read an article on the BBC News website entitled ‘Net news ‘threatens court cases’. In this article Lord Falconer is arguing that articles which may affect trials need to be temporarily taken off the internet and this applies to articles written in the past concerning the accused party. According to the 1981 Act, under the contempt of court, reporters must be careful not to publish or transmit anything which may pose ‘a substantial risk of serious prejudice’ to a fair trial, and this includes the accused’s previous convictions, unless they are being discussed in an open court room. The obstacle faced here is the fact that many articles are legitimately written prior to an individual’s arrest, which can be harmful because they are still available on online archives. Charles Collier Wright a group legal manager at Trinity Mirror opposes Lord Falconer’s appeal to temporarily remove articles during the run-up to court cases arguing that this is an absurd idea and that information has always been available to people in libraries. Furthermore Collier Wright makes a fair point, however the information wasn’t so simple to get to, very few of the general public would bother themselves with going to the library in order to research any allegations being made. However today, if the allegations are even somewhat interesting, by the click of a few buttons and a little pressure on some keys, you’re fully informed, in the comfort of your own home - easy. Catrin Turner a partner and online law specialist too has disputes over Lord Falconer’s scheme for a solution. In the BBC article she is quoted saying, ‘websites are hosted on servers all over the world… if one hoster is ordered to remove information because it is in contempt, it is very easy for that information to pop up on another website.’ I comprehend Turner’s argument and I think it’s a strong point, however I considered if certain restrictions were being enforced and articles were being removed,  particularly off prestigious/notorious sources, perhaps, this would lead to less widespread coverage and less amplification on the media’s behalf. Turner also mentions cache, which are invisible copies on the internet of what has been deleted, which are still fundamentally accessible. This point I believe is a bit similar to Collier Wright’s argument. Although the information is accessible through Cache the general public are not likely to attempt to access it. The only risk here being that proficient computer users have the ability to with ease and may republish the material, however with legal risks, thus limiting the aftermath.

The problem being discussed is not just internet related and recent; the issue has found itself arising for years. In an article entitled ‘Media Coverage Stops Trials’ discussing trials being having to be halted, reassesses and jurors being dropped was written in 1995. A QC specialising in media law conveyed that judges were underestimating juror’s capacity to ignore prejudicial reporting. ‘Most jurors are able to look at the evidence in court and ignore press coverage, often many months earlier, particularly when reminded of their duty by the judge.’  The juror’s job essentially is to enter a court room and listen to the evidence being put fourth, the arguments the lawyers make, defending and accusing and make a decision based on that. But I can’t help but feel this task is quite difficult, particularly with high profile cases, and/or for defendants such as Muslims who as I discussed have already been generally given a bad reputation. It’s so difficult not to absorb your surroundings; we are affected by everything that is said around us. I remember  years ago, when I used to study art and design, our teacher told us that one of the most difficult things to do as a designer is to not without the intention of, copy someone else’s work. This is because, one of the most said words had always been ‘research’. Research, research, research, we had to look at pictures, paintings and products all the time. We would look at so many we would forget what we had looked at and sometimes you think you have come up with a great idea and you head back to do more research to develop it and you realise that it’s been done before, in fact you probably seen it and forgot. Your brain absorbs things, this is why I make an effort not to read articles from certain newspapers, because I remember when I would pick up a silly tabloid newspaper perhaps in a waiting room somewhere or at work, I would later mix the information I read with the rest and eventually forget where I read what. This makes me think of a court case, imagine the media constantly labelling and putting forth allegations, is it out of this world that as a regular person, a juror, not even a judge who too is susceptible to media influence, is it not understandable that your interpretations may get lost between what one sees and hears in court, to those one is hearing and seeing on the street? Consider the widely publicised cases of OJ Simpson and Michael Jackson. How many people thoroughly know what went on in those trials? How many people are actually comprehensively informed of the arguments and evidence put forth? Now think how many people still shout ‘murderer’ at one picture and ‘paedophile’ at the other.    

Journalism is a powerful force, filled with complexities effecting ethical issues and moral dilemmas. The solutions are rarely black and white and though I find myself leaning towards Lord Falconer’s idea for a solution, there seem to be too many gaps. Unfortunately today newspapers need to worry about sales and money, the articles we read are written with that taken into consideration, this leads to embellishments and omissions where they find need be, fundamentally leading to poor journalism. Journalism should not be about brain washing, it should be about reporting the truth, but sometimes it seems the truth is too boring and it needs spicing up with specific headlines, articles and pictures. On the other hand how can we restrict journalism? When it defeats the purpose of that it stands for.

Referencing

Newspaper Articles:

Children in African communities put at risk by inaccurate media reports

McCormack, Helen

Community Care; Jun 23-Jun 29, 2005; 1578; ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source

pg. 12

Coverage revives fears of prejudice: The media

Campbell, Duncan

The Guardian (1959-2003); Jan 3, 1995;

ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Guardian (1821-2003) and The Observer (1791-2003)

pg. 2

Media coverage stops trials

Clare Dyer Legal Correspondent

The Guardian (1959-2003); Oct 27, 1995;

ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Guardian (1821-2003) and The Observer (1791-2003)

pg. 3

Websites:

Alexander, R . (2008). Net news 'threatens court cases' . Available: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7252474.stm.  Last accessed 29/11/11

Bowcott, O . (2011). Riots appeal judges to review BBC news coverage. Available: Alexander, R . (2008). Net news 'threatens court cases' . Available: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7252474.stm. Last accessed . Last accessed 29/11/2011.

NA . (2011). Times of Malta . Available: http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20111129/local/attorney-general-appeals-against-bail-for-maximilian-ciantar.396098. Last accessed 29/11/2011.