The Ramsey Case

How the JonBenet Ramsey case exposes how the court of public opinion trumps actual legal proceedings.

I don't want to get too far into discussing the JonBenet Ramsey case because a) I think the media is fixated on it to the point of perverse obsession and b) there is not a ton to talk about. However, I do think it is a great example of how cable news and reactionary public opinion has combined to defeat the reasoned discourse of legal proceedings.

Remember ten years ago when JonBenet died and the media blitz attacked her parents as perpetrators before any evidence or proof was made available? The media was never apologetic in its premature (and incorrect) indictment of the Ramseys for killing their daughter. In fact, the media has become more bellowing and crass in the last ten years to the point that all is forgotten from those earlier accusations. A new perpetrator has been found and the media, instead of reporting on important issues, has chosen to turn John Mark Karr into a quasi-celebrity solely based on his murder of a little girl.

The only reason the media can do this, however, is because of a willing public. So, the next time someone complains about never seeing real news on television, blame the people you see walking down the street everyday for watching the mutated American press.