What Role Should The Media Play In Doling Out Justice?
I’ve been reading about the 2006 Duke lacrosse scandal recently. The case got me thinking about what role the media should play. Particularly when people’s lives and reputations are on the line.
In the case of the 2006 Duke lacrosse team, then district attorney Mike Nifong used the media extensively to lambaste the team. He eventually charged three players with a crime. National news publications, most notably The New York Times, took a pro-prosecution slant before any of the actual facts came out. Talking heads like Nancy Grace also piled on. When the charges were eventually dropped, there was only grudging admissions of a rush to judgment. It’s not a stretch to see how the media helped shape the public’s view of the three defendants.
What all this says to me is even the most reputable news sources make editorial mistakes regarding the slant of their coverage. It is only exacerbated when there is a refusal to recognize and own up to a mistake. Our free press is one of greatest treasures as a nation. However, it can be our ruin if those in charge don’t present the news in a fair and even-handed way.