Poxy Knoxy: The Media Darling

05/10/11

Amanda Knox

The ongoing battle for justice in the Meredith Kercher murder trial has been one of the most divisive legal proceedings of the last half-decade. The question of the involvement of Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollectio in the British student’s murder has split judicial, public and media opinion both in Italy and around the world. The true victims – Meredith and those who loved her – have long since been forgotten in the media maelstrom that surrounds the case.

Meredith Kercher

In the four years since Kercher was discovered naked and bloody in her Perugia home the press has nurtured a disturbing obsession with the alleged perpetrator of the crime. ‘Foxy Knoxy’. The Femme Fatale. What was it that drew the media to Knox? Was it the salacious nature of the accusations made against her? Or was it that in her the press had found everything they look for in a murder case: a young, attractive female victim? Only this time the ‘victim’ was the girl in the dock.

From the moment the Italian authorities fingered Knox as the one who’dunnit the true human story was lost. Today’s newspapers are filled with emotional colour pieces about Knox’s visits to the prison chapel, and about the lengths to which her family have gone to ensure her freedom. There is little mention of the Kercher family and the impact yesterday’s decision has had on their lives.

The murder of Meredith Kercher certainly is news. She was a British student who was brutally murdered. There is a British emotional investment in the story, but the cult of personality that dominates large sections of the media hijacked the case. Sadly Knox became the story. The newspapers and online press (particularly the Daily Mail online) focused on Knox's physical appearance, her demeanor and the fact she visited the prison chapel before the verdict was announced. The post appeal Kercher press conference was relegated to second tier news.

The case also spotlighted unprofessional and amateur practices on the part of the press. The below article, accidentally uploaded in the moments after the verdict was announced, is a perfect example:

http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/8510/falseknoxstory02.jpg

The case showed the worst in the media. Their treatment of Kercher's death as a 'story' rather than a 'tragedy', their focus on the suspect who they transformed into the victim, and the callous disregard for the Kercher family. When the circus undoubtedly rolls out in force again the next time a pretty white girl is accused of murder, hopefully the public won't buy into it quite so much.

12/10/11

It is worth noting, in hindsight, the excellent coverage provided by the BBC. On the most part they rose above the frenzy. In particular the live coverage in the moments after the verdict was announced was excellent. Their reporter gave a composed and informative evaluation form the steps of the courthouse amongst a scene of mixed joy and anger.