The Amanda Knox Show

Freedom of press; a given right in most liberal third-world countries - yet at what cost? The case of Amanda Knox’s supposed murder of Meredith Kercher came to a head recently, in the form of the suspect’s eventual acquittal. But it cannot be denied that the global media may have had some bearing on this outcome.

Take, for instance, the American press: most publications were eager to support Knox, in both the run up to and aftermath of her lengthy appeal. Forbes, for example, stated outright that ‘Knox was not guilty of the charges against her.’ But such a determined stance on such a mysterious case may be impinging on its outcome; in reading simply the press, or even the case files, it is impossible to tell whether Knox and former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito are guilty.

Such was the case for the appeal: the evidence was fraught with problems, and finally judged to not be enough to sentence someone upon. But if that was indeed true, then how can anyone be sure what happened that fateful night in 2007? The US media seems to think it can, but surely its lavish support for its own - Knox was American, after all; probably the reason she was so lauded by her native press - would lead to its impeding on the trial in some way?

It’s all debatable, of course; such an abstract concept is impossible to prove either way - would the case have turned out differently had it not been surrounded by such a media circus? Would Knox’s appeal even have been taken seriously? The nationality of all those involved plays a huge part in the spotlight upon them - first and foremost is Knox, the now 24 year old typical American college student on her junior year abroad, just out to have fun. Kercher comes second, though sadly oft forgotten in the appeal case coverage; she is the poor Brit student fallen victim to the hands of promiscuous, drug-fuelled violence.

Without these social factors in play, it is probable such a circus of hype and overzealousness would never have arisen. Had the case happened in, say, Somalia, with native youngsters, this article itself would never have existed. Knox's fame might have been overstated by the Daily Express - which afforded her a 'multi-million pound future' headline - but her celebrity is certainly much greater than it should have been, regardless of location. Yet the power of the press, and the social factors influencing such media, have made it so - and in turn, have generated such a controversial impact on the judicial process that even the importance of the law itself is negated by it. And there’s definitely something wrong there.