Thread: The motives of televising "Trials of the Century"

Tonight while working on a razor I was watching the ending testimony of the Jodi Arias trial and was struck by the similarities in TV coverage of the O.J. Simpson and Casey Anthony trials.

The TV hosts want a guilty verdict and throughout their coverage incite the viewers to want the same thing.

Then the verdict is not guilty.

Then the TV hosts cry foul and take calls from viewers who want to vent.

I think the combination of leading viewers to want a guilty verdict and not getting it is precisely what the TV network wants for ratings purposes.

What I'm beginning to wonder is if this coverage somehow influences the outcome because it has become so predictable.

Was she found not guilty?

She was way to hot to go to prison.

Originally Posted by sinnfein

Was she found not guilty?

I don't think so, the closing arguments are today. Double O

I'm not convinced that televised coverage influences outcomes. My understanding is that jurors are kept from viewing coverage of the trial so as not to influence their decision.

But with this, I think the combination of an arguably attractive young woman, murder, and a sexual undercurrent make this as marketable as it is. Remove any one of these, and the tabloid TV stations wouldn't have touched it.


Just the fact that I find her oddly attractive is... disturbing.

Originally Posted by CaliforniaCajun

Tonight while working on a razor I was watching the ending testimony of the Jodi Arias trial and was struck by the similarities in TV coverage of the O.J. Simpson and Casey Anthony trials.

The TV hosts want a guilty verdict and throughout their coverage incite the viewers to want the same thing.

Then the verdict is not guilty.



Then the TV hosts cry foul and take calls from viewers who want to vent.

I think the combination of leading viewers to want a guilty verdict and not getting it is precisely what the TV network wants for ratings purposes.

What I'm beginning to wonder is if this coverage somehow influences the outcome because it has become so predictable.

What's the big deal?

Politicians have been doing this kind of stuff for years now. They lie and exaggerate and make things up and get their gullible followers to believe anything they say and use an army of mouthpieces on T.V and radio and internet and in print for influence so they hate the other side and all they represent and vote as ordered. That's why the country is in the state it's in now so why shouldn't this spill over to other parts of society?

The greatest thing about both T.V. and radio is the OFF switch.

Ratings drive everything tv does. So they find what is going to bring in the most viewers and use it.

That is why the news is not to inform you it's to entertain you.

The real question is why are you watching it?

Originally Posted by Castel33

Ratings drive everything tv does. So they find what is going to bring in the most viewers and use it.

That is why the news is not to inform you it's to entertain you.

The real question is why are you watching it?

It's like my Uncle Jethro used to say, "It may be poor but it's all I got"

Originally Posted by CaliforniaCajun

Tonight while working on a razor I was watching the ending testimony of the Jodi Arias trial and was struck by the similarities in TV coverage of the O.J. Simpson and Casey Anthony trials.

The TV hosts want a guilty verdict and throughout their coverage incite the viewers to want the same thing.

Then the verdict is not guilty.

Then the TV hosts cry foul and take calls from viewers who want to vent.

I think the combination of leading viewers to want a guilty verdict and not getting it is precisely what the TV network wants for ratings purposes. No wonder that the media drive towards a given outcome. I'm willing to be that the Trayvon case will be handled just the same.

What I'm beginning to wonder is if this coverage somehow influences the outcome because it has become so predictable.

The US doesn't have news reporting.
It has opinion editorials and spindoctors, catering to the people who tune in because they enjoy being told what they want to hear.