Kobe Bryant’s Aug. 6 trial hearing will draw more media
attention than did this year’s NBA Finals.
Even now, weeks before the prosecution or defense has had a
chance to lay down their case, millions have already passed
judgment on the young Laker, fueling online polls about
Kobe’s guilt or innocence.
To reiterate, based on absolutely no physical or testimonial
evidence, millions of educated people have already made up their
minds in what is, as of now, a he-said, she-said case.
It is a shame, but for cases as over-hyped as Kobe’s,
guilt isn’t decided in a court of law, but in the far more
fickle court of public opinion, based on little more than
speculation. And the 24-hour news networks are feeding the rumor
mills.
Already, the likes of CNN and the Fox News Channel devote hours
a day to covering what little information they can scrounge up on
the case and feeding the public’s insatiable appetite for
speculation.
Intimate details about the victim’s past ““ from her
overdoses to ex-boyfriends to her American Idol audition ““
have been painstakingly analyzed by the networks. During the hour I
watched Fox News, I found out from the victim’s
“friends” that she is honest and would never lie about
this sort of thing, and that the hotel room they were in was very
quiet and remote. I learned from Kobe that he was “disgusted
with (himself) for making the mistake of adultery.”
While as entertaining as any discussion on sexual assault can
be, one has to wonder whether or not Fox News will be able to find
anything even less relevant to fill the time until the trial
begins. This type of “news” is a common sight on
cable television and shamefully promotes the judgment, and in turn,
punishment of an innocent man.
Take O.J. Simpson for example. There was a general consensus on
his guilt and therefore, was treated as such, despite his being
found not guilty. He may be free legally, but he will always be
seen as a murderer. Even after being found not guilty, he was
ostracized by the public with all hopes of living a normal life as
an innocent man gone. This is the power of public perception in
spite of verdict.
If people begin to perceive Kobe as guilty, he becomes
“guilty” in consequence. Sprite and Adidas will drop
him like a bad habit because they do not want a perceived rapist
endorsing their product. The Staples Center will become less a
sports venue and more a protest center if the public does not feel
justice is done. His name and clean image will be gone, along with
adoration and money, based on questionable reporting, not trial
verdicts.
Seeing just how important they are in determining guilt, early
leaks are more legal strategies than they are mistakes. They hope
to bias the jury pool even before the trial begins.
Is there really any place in the U.S. that can hold a fair trial
with all the news coverage mudslinging? If the defense can get
enough reports about the woman’s mental state leaked, even
with the gag order, Kobe will be deemed innocent in the eyes of the
public. If the prosecution can show some physically damning
bruises or tears of the victim’s clothes, Kobe is done. The
reading of the verdict will be merely a formality.
Thus the power that the media holds over the sway of public
opinion cannot be taken lightly. There should be more
responsibility taken over the type of content being looped over and
over on television for the sake of higher ratings. We must let the
judicial process play its course, and reserve judgment, at least
until facts begin to emerge in a sea of propaganda.
Moon is a second-year pre-business economics student.