Journalistic Public Opinion

Jessica Lal Murder Case –

Sue-Ellen Fernandes St. Andrews College TY BMM. 4259
Introduction
Media is regarded as one of the pillars of democracy. Media has wide ranging roles in the society. Media plays a vital role in molding the opinion of the society and it is capable of changing the whole viewpoint through which people perceive various events. The media can be commended for starting a trend where the media plays an active role in bringing the accused to hook.
There are different reasons why the media attention is particularly intense surrounding a legal case: the first is that the crime itself is in some way sensational, by being horrific the second is that it involves a celebrity either as victim or accused.
The concept of trial by media is not a new concept. There have been many occurrences in the past where the media has been accused of conducting a trial on its own and passing a verdict even before the court does. There is a conception that the Jessica Lal murder case is was also a media trial.
Case Study
On 29 April 1999, Manu Sharma had shot Jessica Lal in front of 200 witnesses at a Delhi restaurant, Tamarind Court, where she was a barmaid and refused to serve alcohol to him after 2 a.m. In February 2006, witness after witness went back on their original testimonies in court. This same case did not get enough coverage and within no time and Manu Sharma was acquitted. Noam Chomsky’s propaganda model tells us how news gets covered based on the News “Filters”. Manu Sharma’s father, Venod Sharma was a Congress MP and later a