Mollie Henry

Opinions columnist

Many of us have indulged in the “true crime” dramas, such as “Serial” and “Making a Murderer,” that have recently piqued the nation’s curiosity. Some believe that we have been caught up in the tide of hysteria and given the media, cleverly disguised as entertainment, too much power to sway our beliefs.

They argue that, in the end, the various scenarios created and exacerbated by media coverage amount to nothing, or much less than they have been made out to be, and that the power we have given the media results in more harm to society than good.

It is undeniable, however, that the media has acted as a divining rod for the skeletons hiding in society’s closet in many cases. And, while these documentaries may or may not be entirely factual, there is one important, unembellished fact that they do expose: corruption and incompetence in our justice system has often led to wrongful conviction. Rather than avoiding or distancing ourselves from media, it would be wiser to embrace it as tool to keep us better informed and keep society more accountable.

“Making a Murderer” and “Serial” follow the criminal cases and trials of two separate men, Steven Avery and Adnan Syed, calling into question the guilty convictions that were handed down by the jury. In June 2007, Avery, the main subject of Making a Murder, was convicted to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the rape and murder of Teresa Halbach.

Since “Making a Murderer” debuted on Netflix on December 18, 2015, a petition to free Avery reached almost 130,000 signatures. The call to pardon Avery was so extreme that the White House was obliged to respond, stating that because the trial and conviction were handled by the state of Wisconsin, the federal government does not have the power to overturn the verdict.

The overwhelming response to stories like those presented by “Making a Murderer” and “Serial” could be construed as people being too easily persuaded by the agenda of the media. But it can also be seen, and I believe rightly so, as the response of a nation that was founded on the ideals of justice, and still holds those values dear.

The Innocence Project, created in order to seek out and overturn wrongful convictions, was started by just such people, committed to preserving and restoring justice. Since the Innocence Project was founded, there have been over 300 people exonerated of crimes they were wrongfully convicted for, through the use of DNA evidence. http://www.innocenceproject.org/free-innocent/exonerating-the-innocent (fm)

And, while of course not all of those cases involved corruption or incompetence, it is important to expose the ones that did, in order to make sure that justice has been rightfully served.

While it may not be entirely clear in the cases of Avery and Syed whether injustice did occur, it has certainly occurred in the past. It is also true that we as a nation can be too easily influenced by the media, but in the fight against injustice and corruption, informed media users are better than non-media users.

Rather than worrying that the media may have too much power in our society, concern yourself with giving it the right power: to expose corruption and incite us to action. Action that, through things like social media, students are more efficiently able to take. Recently, at Mizzou, we saw just how powerful various media platforms can be for students who are actively trying to correct injustice.

But in order to do this we must be savvy media users. Read as much as you can, but verify sources. Don’t trust everything you read on Tumblr, or believe everything you watch on Netflix. Be open-minded when discussing issues such as these in order to become as informed about your world as possible.

The media is powerful; but as a tool, not a gospel. As such, the truth must be gleaned from the clutter. I would encourage you, as a part of this campus and a part of this world, to try to do just that.

Mollie is a graduate student in Art and [email protected]