Impact of Media

Controversial events and topics can be argued from both sides. The impact of media on Matthew Shepard's murder is highly disputable. While it labeled the town of Laramie and interrupted the grieving process, it also shined a light on gay rights. The influx of attention aimed at Laramie, WY made the impact that much bigger. When asked about Laramie, Jedadiah Schultz said "...after Matthew, I would say that Laramie is a town defined by an accident, a crime. We've become Waco, we've become Jasper. We're a noun, a definition, a sign!" (Kaufman 7). Laramie, being a large and sparsely populated town was not used to being known for something other than railroads. After Matthew's murder the town was being recognized as a homophobic, under educated, and primal town because that is how the media was portraying it. The media stopped the community from grieving and coping. Rebecca Hilliker, head of the theater department at the University of Wyoming talks about feeling insulted when she heard about The Laramie Project, but she adds "...I thought about it and decided that we've had so much negative closure on this whole thing. And the students really need to talk. When this happened they started talking about it, and then the media descended and all dialogue stopped" (Kaufman 9). When incidents like this happen, the community involved need to talk through the confusion, but the media suffocated this process. Instead of asking what was wrong with the killers, everyone in the community was being bombarded with reporters asking what was wrong with the town. Dealing with all the bad press made people who were affected by this wish it never happened for all of the wrong reasons. The Baptist minister's wife said "Oh, yes, I think we are all hoping this just goes away"(Kaufman 25). Instead of realizing that this was an example of why hate crimes need to be stopped, people were wishing the town could go back to normal. The media can twist words, actions, and opinions in some cases this can be very detrimental. 

     

While the negative effects are large, the positives that can come out of having this in mainstream news can actually help make progress. Many civil movements have been put off far longer than they should have been because the public is so underinformed. Before Matthew's death, 33 other hate crimes had been committed to the gay community (documentary). The media helped make this particular one widespread which helped raise awareness. The other hate crimes may have been worse, or more offensive, but the media made this one well known. Coverage on this event gave the gay community a poster child for the movement; this made the issues seem more human by giving it a face. Forcing people to see difficult news can help to encourage change. The first step to improvement is realizing that their is need for some. Matthew's death opened up the darker side to discrimination against sexual orientation. This tragedy helped push for improvement.