The Thin Blue Line Sparknotes

Writing Assignment 4

It all starts with something as simple as hearing a story that sparks an interest, next the question: "why are we so fascinated by this crime or deviance," follows. Then it's elevated quickly when the belief of the formation of a friendship, understanding or even relating to the story. Empathy sets in. Gears begin to grind, to contemplate, create a reason to dig deeper, to know more, to investigate and find out the true story. The media has been very successful when it comes to gathering, engaging, and keeping the public's fascination. They can equally tap into the public's thoughts to help stimulate and persuade them. They're able to persuade the public because in their mind they have something to prove, whether it's

Morris did so by making the documentary The Thin Blue Line. The release of this documentary was an excellent example of how media influences not only the public but the world. Morris was able to not only persuade the public, but he was able to prove Randell Adams innocence. He was able to get an indirect confession from David Harris, something police couldn't get, many even believed that at that time police weren't even motivated to get that confession. The police falsely accused a man of murder simply because one of their own was murdered and they wanted the cruelest punishment for his murderer. They were out to send Randell Adams to get the death penalty because he was of age. Even worse there were witnesses who complied and also gave false statements about who they saw in the vehicle of the murderer. These witnesses were influenced by information that media gave out. Media should not proposition a reward in exchange for information. This form of media leads people to do irrational things, such as falsify statements in order to obtain the reward. The public is so greatly influenced by the things they see and hear on media that they're not even aware that media can have just as much of a negative effect as it can