Trayvon Martin.
We're all pretty much tired of hearing his name, regardless of how passionate we are on the issue. This week, we learned that George Zimmerman has finally been indicted on second-degree murder charges. The world heaved a huge sigh of relief for Trayvon's sake. Today, we heard that he was receiving a bail hearing much earlier than expected. While I have love for all people, I also have love for American justice. Thankfully, our system has this magical little 'gift-from-God' concept where the burden of proof is placed on the prosecution. Regardless of how you feel toward one side or the other, we all have the right to a fair trial.
Now, with that said, one of my favorite topics of discussion is media sensationalism. Obviously, this news story has great ratings value because it represents a possible hate crime. The general public should shift their social awareness to understanding that our popular media outlets are motivated by one thing- profit. Your local news station is not interested in educating you, promoting general concern, or encouraging advocacy. Therefore, when a story of this magnitude is released, consumers MUST MUST MUST take in information with a critical eye. It has now been revealed that a major news company, like many in the past, limited and/or edited a piece of the evidence against Zimmerman before presenting it to the public. This made the evidence (911 calls) sound much more incriminating than it actual was. Personally, when this type of news story explodes, I wish they would charge the networks with inciting a riot. I'm all for the public being knowledgeable and informed of these types of events, as long as it does not infringe on the rights of those involved.
Because of the sensationalism incited by the mass media, there is now no possibility that Zimmerman will get a fair trial. I know that the general public has already determined his guilt, but even the Devil himself would have the right to defend his case to an objective audience. This reminds me of the Casey Anthony trial. Similarly, the public was presented with a small amount of detail relating to the case, and we sentenced her right then and there. In reality, however, the prosecution team did not have enough evidence to prove her guilty of murder. Regardless of how shady the scenario was, or how bad of a mother she was, the prosecution failed to present sufficient evidence proving her guilt. No human being should ever have to prove their innocence.
Even further, according to this article, Skittles sales are suffering as a result of their publicity in association with Martin's murder. I'm flabbergasted to believe that we would allow this type of detail to influence our CONSUMPTION habits. We're a society of mass consumers! Trayvon Martin purchasing Skittles has nothing to do with the evidence in this case, except to represent preceding events. The long and short of it, is that we, as a society, have to step back and place a little more faith in the justice system. It is not perfect, and I am the first to look for a weakness. However, we were not present during the crime and we do not know all of the evidence the courts have. It's our responsibility as productive, concerned citizens to promote civil rights for EVERY human being- including George Zimmerman, and allow him to have a fair trial. That's something I wish we had done in Casey Anthony's case as well. She was exonerated, which doesn't make her innocent, but gives her the right to live a normal life. Just as God is the only one who determines our fate in the eternal life, our judges and juries should be the only ones determining the fate of the accused.
