On the 'Newsworthiness' of a Wrongful Conviction

• In Event: Miscarriages of Justice: New Perspectives on Innocence Issues

Abstract

The disproportionate representation of crime and deviance as a whole in the news media has prompted criminologists to investigate what components of a story contribute to its ‘newsworthiness’ (Dowler, Fleming & Muzzatti, 2006; Katz, 1987). Researchers have also expressed concern over the potential effects of exposure to the messages inherent in these mediated representations, and through what mechanisms these meanings are negotiated (Ericson, 1991). Representations of miscarriages of justice in the news media have been coined narratives of innocence, offering emotionally compelling, albeit selective, accounts of wrongful convictions (Ettema & Glasser, 1988; Stratton, 2013). While much research has identified the causes, consequences and responses to the alarming phenomenon of wrongful convictions (e.g., Anderson & Anderson, 1998; Denov & Campbell, 2005; Huff & Killias, 2010), little research has examined these elements under the lens of narrative-as-entertainment. This study utilizes mixed-methods in analyzing Canadian news articles on cases of clients represented by The Association in Defense of the Wrongly Convicted (AIDWYC) to investigate the question: What makes wrongful convictions ‘newsworthy’?

Author

• Timothy G. Wykes, Wilfrid Laurier University