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The relationship between media and justice is aptly summed up in one of the research article published by Kenneth Dowler from the Department of Criminal Justice, in which it has been stated that “The public’s perception of victims, criminals, deviants, and law enforcement officials is largely determined by their portrayal in the mass media. Research indicates that the majority of public knowledge about crime and justice is derived from the media (Roberts and Doob, 1990; Surette, 1998). (Journal of Criminal Justice and Popular Culture, 10(2) (2003) 109-126 (Retrieved from albany.edu). The Michael Brown case is a live example of the observation made in the foregoing publication.
Every minute aspect of the case, be it the second by second detailed analyses of the how the unfortunate incident unfolded; the numerous contradictory versions of the witnesses in the case; the roles and reactions of the various state authorities, including, but not limited to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Grand Jury, the Ferguson Police Department and other state players have been dissected and analyzed in depth by the media. While many a times the media intends to remain neutral by merely presenting different versions, yet it somehow plays a crucial role in forming an opinion. Whilst the intent behind the extensive coverage by the media may not necessarily be to push for justice in the matter as it is a known fact that commercial value of a particular criminal incident is directly proportional to the extent of coverage. However, the media coverage serves to formulate public opinion that eventually creates pressure on the authorities that justice is done in the matter. From the deluge of media articles on this case, it appears that the media seems to suggest strongly that under no circumstances an officer is capable of lawfully shooting an unarmed man. For example, an article of New York Times states that “Mr. Brown’s hands were over his head when the officer fired. All agree that Mr. Brown was unarmed”. (“Tracking the Events in the Wake of Michael Brown’s Shooting” at nytimes.com update on 25th August 2014). The large scale outrage across the United States is primarily towards the fact that the victim was unarmed. In my view, the action of the police officer does seem to suggest a highly disproportionate show of strength in handling the incident. As of now, there is no piece of evidence that seems to support and substantiate the excessive usage of the weapon in a manner that eventually proved lethal.
With so many contradictory versions about the eye witnesses appearing in media, it is difficult to say with certainty that Michael Brown was an immediate threat to the police officer. Another reason why it is difficult to infer that Michael Brown was an immediate threat was because he was not armed. If he would have been in possession of a weapon, I would have been inclined to draw a reasonable justification in favor of the police officer acting the way he did. In my view, this can be ascertained only pursuant to appreciating the collective evidence on record by the jury.
Work Cited
Roberts and Doob, 1990; Surette, 1998). Journal of Criminal Justice and Popular Culture, 10(2) (2003) 109-126 (Retrieved from albany.edu)
Tracking the Events in the Wake of Michael Brown’s Shooting” at nytimes.com update on 25th August 2014
