The mainstream media outlets have three important mandates that they have to fulfill in their operational activities. These mandates inform, educate, and entertain the masses through the broadcast items they air or transmit. Agenda setting is the other important function that the mainstream media carries out. In the course of agenda-setting, the mass media outlets may sometimes twist, misappropriate and mislead the public through giving inaccurate information that may create wrong perspectives leading to significant deviations from the true position (Chin & Workewych, 2016). The American criminal justice system has faced criticism for how the mass media has portrayed them in bad light through television shows and series such as CSI (Crime Scene Investigation). The negative perceptions created by television series such as CSI have been a cause for alarm since the masses, and people who seek justice believe that evidence is gathered and analyzed in a particular way that raises serious integrity and credibility issues.
CSI is an American television drama series with significant connotations to working on the criminal justice system by depicting how evidence from a crime scene is professionally collected and analyzed to influence the jury's decision. The CSI storyline or plot relates to a dedicated group of forensic investigators/experts based at the Las Vegas Crime Laboratory. They work extra hard to unearth grisly crimes in the sin-laden city (Eatley et al., 2016). This dedicated team of investigators worked in the most difficult shift from midnight to eight in the morning when they clocked out with their supervisor Russell and Sherlock Holmes in solving complicated crime. Subject matter in film and broadcast media have pointed at the negative impact and perception that has been created by CSI on how the criminal justice system operates. The show has been criticized as unrealistic through the exaggerated portrayal of forensic science, which is far from the truth hence a negative image of laxity by the criminal justice system to solve a crime.
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Depiction of the Court System
The American court system has been depicted negatively in the American drama series CSI. This has elicited public debate in various public forums from the perception created about the criminal justice system's workings. The television series has promoted the narrative that it has become very difficult to prosecute defendants since the present jurors want more hard evidence, which is sometimes hard to come by. Hard evidence such as smoking gun and DNA proof points out rightly to the perpetrator. Such is not often realistic as a criminal mind envisions how they can cover their tracks, leaving no room for material data that implicates them (Wagner, 2020). Legal professionals assert that it is usually a game of chance in finding hard evidence, as in most cases, it does not exist. The American criminal justice experts assert that being realistic in prosecuting defendants and cases calls for looking into circumstantial evidence and eye witness accounts, which may even carry more weight than hard evidence, usually nonexistent. This makes CSI fall shoot create an illusion and mirage that is not the truth about the workings of the criminal justice system.
The CSI has created a perspective that it is very difficult to find jurors from their story's plot development. In some of the American series' episodes, the lawyers depict and dismiss jurors as professionally incompetent in undertaking their mandate of prosecuting criminal cases to logical conclusion portrays major deficits in justice service delivery. The exact position is that highly skilled and professional jurors exist and differentiate how criminal cases and justice are expended judiciously (Monnink, 2015). The perception created is that they are fellow and potentially qualified jurors and establish a limiting effect on the criminal justice system's part to the public seeking justice. The lawyers in the television series paint a negative image to the public that is a deficit of jurors, and this is not the case. The impression that jurors can be compromised to influence a particular leaning decision is another negative thought that the CSI has given too much room and emphasis to thrive.
Depiction of the Court Personnel
The television series depicts the court personnel as people who do not follow the various court and criminal analysis proceedings seriously, hence derailing justice delivery. There is a lot a feeling that the court systems are marred by too much bureaucracy, making the court cases and criminal proceedings very slow. Such may be true in some cases, but the American criminal justice system is efficient and streamlined; hence, bureaucracy cases become a far-fetched idea. The crime show, on various occasions, gave misleading information regarding how court personnel works. This was evident when in the crime show, one person working for law enforcement doubled up as a detective, data analysis specialist, and crime scene investigator all in one, and this does not happen in an ideal situation (Chin & Workewych, 2016). The court personnel and system have cut out roles assigned to different professionals with specific job descriptions in various departments. In an ideal court system situation, the persons who collect evidence are not the same person who investigates or enforces and arrests.
Criminal justice personnel have different areas of expertise and different academic and professional certification. The misleading information and false perception created may be injurious to people who have never interacted with the different court personnel and the wider picture's criminal justice system. The television series has also depicted the court personnel as people who have a high appetite for drama and attention. This is utterly incorrect. Some of the court personnel have sworn the oath of secrecy, and some work with very high professional regard and hiding of their identity as the work or investigation scope demands. Strict morals guide the court personnel in their professional code of conduct and ethics that govern their practice.
Public Awareness
The power of the television or the mass media to influence the public and set a plan persuading people to act, believe, and perceive things in a particular way cannot be understated. For this reason, it shows that the CSI needs tougher regulation of the kind of content they are broadcasting by the respective editorial boards to ensure the public is not misled. The public misconception may establish certain negative and inaccurate perceptions that may make people ignorant of the true or ideal situation (Eatley et al., 2016). Additionally, ignorance before the law is not a form of defense. Misconceptions and half-truths about how evidence is analyzed and justice is served may be extremely costly and injurious to the American criminal justice system's image and reputation and should not be condoned. Public order should be maintained through the broadcast content being aired, having to pass integrity, credibility, and reliability tests before the public consumes it.
One of the greatest impacts of misconceptions is that it is a great barrier to understanding. Such leads to the delusion of people having knowledge that would be critical to them in the future. Misconceptions often confuse confusion, which may escalate into major crises when parties fail to agree on a common position due to the compelling influence on broadcast media (Wagner, 2020). Critical information such as that relating to work, performance, and efficiency of the American criminal justice system should be handled with extreme factual care and caution to protect from wrongful public attention and criticism. The media should not be used as an avenue to feed the public with unrealistic expectations on sensitive matters such as justice delivery.
Conclusion
A balance between entertaining and educating the masses should be established by the mass media outlets, particularly on sensitive and critical matters such as justice. There should be an effective editorial policy on the quality and truthfulness of the content being aired for public consumption. The American criminal justice system should be protected against undue interferences through the misconceptions that may be created in avoiding confusing the members of the public. Mass media outlets should exercise credible, factual, and verifiable general rules for public consumption information.
References
Chin, J., & Workewych, L. (2016). The CSI effect. SSRN Electronic Journal . https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2752445
Eatley, G., Hueston, H. H., & Price, K. (2016). A Meta-Analysis of the CSI Effect: The Impact of Popular Media on Jurors' Perception of Forensic Evidence. Politics, Bureaucracy & Justice , 5 (2). https://www.wtamu.edu/webres/File/Academics/College%20of%20Education%20and%20Social%20Sciences/Department%20of%20Political%20Science%20and%20Criminal%20Justice/PBJ/2018/5n2/5n2_01EPH.pdf
Monnink, J. (2015). Perceived realism and the CSI-effect. https://doi.org/10.22215/etd/2015-11192
Wagner, H. (2020). Using Multimedia to Counteract the CSI Effect. https://encompass.eku.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1768&context=honors_theses
