Required Elements 1) Description of the Incident.
Describe in a narrative –be specific–what happened? Where? When? Look for inconsistencies within the different media sources and contrast different sources. How are people depicted (police, witnesses, victim, offender…)? Do the reports change in tenor with different participants? Do some media outlets report some aspects of the incident that others do not?
2) Criminal Law Applications
Outline the application of the charges against the defendant(s) against any criminal law violations the defendant(s) were found guilty of violating. What are the elements of the criminal act? What is the actus reus and mens rea for each of the violations? What is needed to establish culpability in court? What, in your opinion, is the rationale in explaining any variances in what the defendant(s) is/are charged compared with what they were found guilty of? Does this equate to justice, and if so, for and by whom?
3) Legal Precedent and Media Reporting
Discuss any legal precedent used in prosecution/defense/sentencing, etc. What did prior court rulings on similar cases reveal? Did appeal rulings overturn the trial court decisions, did Supreme Court rulings overturn appeal decisions?
Present differences in media reporting of the incident. What was assumed about the definition of crime? The nature of criminals? What was said about the accused (background, personality, reputation)? About the victim? Others involved? Was there any stereotyping? Again, consider the legal, polemical and empirical definitions of crime. Was the act criminal by definition, should the act have been criminal, are there changes to the law that need to be made in light of the event you’re reporting on?
4) Citations
In APA format on a separate reference slide.