Two Media Tools in a Sensational - Case Study Example

Running Head: CRIME AND MEDIA COVERAGE ON SCHAPELLE CORBY Schapelle Corby Name Course Lecturer Date Introduction It is beyond doubt that media is a powerful tool for influencing public opinion. Of interesting to note is the fact that not all information featured in the media is correct. In fact, it is said that only ‘interesting’ happenings hit the media; actually, some occurrences are fuelled by what is reported by the media. With this, the paper seeks to discuss two media tools; celebrity status and bias in relation to Schapelle Corby. Under celebrity status, the paper will consider how popular Corby got, the spread of her story through TV and social media despite the fact that there are other related or similar stories. In regard to bias, the paper will consider how the media portrayed her, vocabulary used and so on. As such, it will possible to explain the use of these tools in the media coverage in accordance to the information obtained. Background Schapelle Corby was born in 1977 in Tugun a suburb of Gold Coast, in the state of Queensland. Her father, Michael Corby was a coal miner while her mother owned an eating outlet. Her parents divorced when she was a child. She dropped out of school at the age of eleven and she took a course on beauty therapy. Having completed four modules, she started working at a Coles supermarket and the family eating outlet. In the late 1990s, Corby got married to Kimi Tanaka, a Japanese man but they later separated and Corby came back to Australia (ABC, 2008). Her visit to Bali after four years marked the beginning of her journey to being convicted and gaining celebrity status through thanks to the media. On arrival to the airport together with her two friends and brother, 4.2 kg of cannabis was found in her bodyboard bag. One of the customs officer reported that Corby has initially refused to open the compartment that contained the drugs. However, Corby, during trials denied the accusation (ABC, 2008). She claimed that she opened the bag when the custom officer asked to whom it belonged to. However, there was no footage of this that was taken or preserved (Harvey, 2008). Of important to note is that Corby claimed that the bags belonging to them were not weighed separately at Brisbane Airport; at the same time the custom officers did not take the weight of those bags even after she requested. As such, Corby swore that she had no knowledge of the drugs until the bag was opened. The case was based on the officer’s testimony that Corby agreed the bag where the drug was found was hers (Harvey, 2008). However, it is important to note that despite request from her lawyers, the court did not agree to the testing for fingerprints which in a way would rule or prove that Corby was not aware of drugs in her bag. Indeed, they argued that Corby had become a victim of a shipment of cannabis between Sydney and Brisbane (Wockner, 2005). Additionally, this was supported by one of the senior AFP who argued that there are some flight passengers who are being used in transporting drugs between internal airports without their knowledge. The case took a new twist when photographs of Corby and a renowned drug smuggler were produced. Indeed, this led to the Indonesia Supreme increasing her jail sentences from 15 to 20 years. However, most of Indonesian anti-drug activists felt that this was a light sentence and Corby should have been sentenced to death instead. In the prison, Corby shared a cell block with 85 other women and gradually she received remission of her original term. It is after almost ten years that Corby gain her freedom; this is after the Indonesian Justice Minister agreed that her applications have been reviewed and therefore, given a parole (Harvey, 2008). . Indeed, of most important to note is how the presented case was exposed by the media. As a result of these happenings, her popularity grew not only in Indonesia but also in her own country. As one of the articles suggests, as she was emerging from the prison during her release, she had to cover her face to avoid the media from taking her photos. Indeed, this was an indication that media was waiting for her and as such she was due to face intense media scrutiny in the next weeks and years ahead. It is important to note that the celebrity status that Corby found herself in could lead to more pressure given the intense public interest. One may not need to emphasize the fact that the case thrust her into a celebrity status which she never asked for in the first place. According to (Day, 2014) the former beauty student is set to bag more than what the drug was worth. Notably, from one exclusive media interview, it is said that Corby will earn more than 25 times more than the cannibal worth. This is a result of her signing a deal with a leading media, Channel Seven to offer an exclusive interview. To show their commitment in running the interview, Channel Seven went ahead to escort her from prison to Bali resort where she would enjoy her freedom before leaving to her sister’s residence. Not only were TV reporters interested with her but also magazines went ahead to discuss the celebrity. For instance, an Australian women’s magazine posted an online picture of Corby drinking beer with her brother after the release (News, 2014). Of important to note is the fact that some media went ahead to state that the Channel Seven interview was ridiculous given that the interview was a great deal. The Channel Seven; however, declined to comment and stated that Corby was free to tell her story. Her celebrity has also caused some issues in the family and the media; for instance, the family sued Nine Network, an arch rival of Channel Seven for airing a biopic, Schapelle (Roe, 2014). Primarily, it is expected that her celebrity status will continue to be seen in various social media where most Australians who believed her innocent have gone ahead to create a page and threads have been on the increase even after her release. Before, her release, the social media including twitter was characterised with Australian signature demanding her release. One cannot undermine the statement that one of the renowned Australian celebrity managers made concerning Corby’s story. From his statement, the celebrity manager asserted that Corby’s story could be more than a story of two miners who were well paid to give their story on how they survived the gold mine trap (The associated Press, 2014). Not only was her celebrity status fuelled but there were reported biases; that is, how the media portrayed her. Notably, the Australian media in a way portrayed her as an innocent person who was a victim of circumstance while the Indonesian media portrayed her as a criminal would was supported to be sentenced to death. Nevertheless, it is important to note that of the Seven Channel biggest star voiced his disagreement with the way Seven Channel worked with Corby within the network. Additionally, one of sport presenter ridiculed Corby by stating that she could have shown her face while being release before having any paid interview. From one of the twitter thread, one her ‘fans’ argued that she was either insane to carry drugs that were of less cash and were not worth the death sentence or years of imprisonment that she was exposed to; that is, if caught. As such, this argument primarily depicted that she was innocent. In addition, those who support this petition note that inasmuch she was found guilty, a 20 year sentence is ridiculous given the worth of the drug. One the other hand, still within the same thread, one person argued that despite the deafening of media on her support she is still guilt. In support of this, some articles emphasised on the messages the protesters were posting concerning the case. They felt that Australia is supplier of drug and as such, Corby was one of the outlets or shipper of drugs to Indonesia. Whether guilty or innocent, this case is basically a media sensationalism given that there are more than 100 such cases that have not met such a threshold. As such, these tools have indeed, played a role in ensuring that the public has had a platform to air their opinions on the case. In addition, these tools ensure that diversity of information is provided to the public. Of most important to note is the fact that the media tends to cover issues that will lead to them selling or becoming popular among potential leaders. In regard to this, in Australia, given that most people argued that Corby was innocent, most of the media power went ahead to support, in a way, to win the Australian attention. On the other hand, In Indonesia, the media printed an otherwise picture to accompany the feeling of most citizens. Primarily, these tools of media have been used in perpetuating the issues and provide a platform for public to interact and view their opinion. At the same time, it seems to gain indirectly from providing the information. Reference ABC. (2008, February 8). Corby lawyer got baggage handler defence from Triple J. ABC News . Day, W. (2014, February 9). How Schapelle celebrated freedom. True Life Stories , p. 1. Harvey, C. (2008). Baggage handler defence was a lie. The Sunday Telegraph , 4-5. News. (2014, February 7). Schapelle Crby granted parole in Bali after nine years in jail. News , p. 1. The Asociated Press, (2014, February 11). Australian Schapelle Corby's media payday in doubt. CBCnews , p. 2. Roe, K. (2014, February 12). Long road to recovery for Schapelle. Hope 103.2 , p. 4. Wockner, C. (2005, October 24). Schapelle begs PM to save her . The Sunday Mail . Read More