“Someone’s been in the house:” A tale of burglary and trial by media

Abstract

This paper examines a case of trial by media revolving around a routine property crime in Hawaii. Trial by media is an emerging concept in crime media research; it illuminates how 21st-century mediascapes facilitate dynamic and interactive representations of crime, which may create spaces for alternative justice processes. Here we examine the impact of one victim's efforts to identify a house burglar by sharing surveillance photos of the crime itself on the Internet, and the ensuing consequences. We chart how images of this relatively minor property crime circulated on the Internet through social media and eventually became a significant story for local corporate news. We also explore the consequences of this process, both in terms of restorative justice and surveillance research. Specifically, we document the way that social media presents opportunities outside of the criminal justice process for redress of grievances. We also, though, document how social media can create a forum for both racist and hate speech around criminals and those perceived to be criminal, and finally, we consider the ambiguous implications of using personal surveillance technologies as primary crime prevention strategies.

Dingo media? The persistence of the “trial by media” frame in popular, media, and academic evaluations of the Azaria Chamberlain case

“…Others have focused on instances of "trial by the press" in Southeast Asia (Janet Steele 2013, 342) and "trial by media" in Bangladesh (Bari Fazlul and Mohmmad Hussain 2014). Though traditional media have been the focus of trial by media critique (Sheldon S. Kagan 1993), Chagnon and Chesney-Lind (2015) have traced alternative justice processes in social media. These examples suggest an evolving understanding of the concept of trial by media in old and new media contexts.…”

Cops, lies, and videotape: Police reform and the media in Hawaii

“…YouTube) and the traditional mainstream media (e.g. television) to shape the overall discussion of the case, and facilitated an informal justice process (Chagnon and Chesney-Lind, 2015). Other research has examined how online communities and social media are used to publicize sexual violence and seek justice in cases that have been under-pursued by authorities and the mainstream media (Powell, 2015; Salter, 2013).…”

“…They are currently opposing efforts to reduce mandatory minimums for drug offenses. A victims’ rights movement has also arisen in wealthy suburbs on the east side of Oahu, which has lobbied for harsher prison sentences in response to a purported wave of drug-induced crime (Chagnon and Chesney-Lind, 2015), and the state’s reliance on tourism as an economic engine tends to increase the economic impact of crime, particularly when the victims are visitors (Chesney-Lind and Lind, 1986).…”

Trial by media: Why victims and activists seek a parallel justice forum for war crimes

“…There are dangers a trial by media will subvert procedural justice, invert the principle of innocent until proven guilty and cause reputational damage that can further the commercial and ideological agendas of corporate news organisations (Greer and McLaughlin, 2012). However, there are potential affordances for a trial by media to address the limitations of formal justice processes (Chagnon and Chesney-Lind, 2015; Greer and McLaughlin, 2012; Machado and Santos, 2009; Reiner, 2001). For example, online or ‘viral justice’ (Wood et al, 2019) can help marginalised groups and victims become visible and provide a space to seek justice or remedy.…”