A NOT SO QUIET REVOLUTION

  • Nathan Sarkas University of Cape Town

Abstract

The inspiration for this paper stems from the unprecedented media coverage surrounding the legal process in relation to Oscar Pistorius. Overnight South Africa‟s criminal justice system became a world-spectacle, highlighting the realities of an era engulfed by modern communication and its plethora of mediums. Evidence was made public, live-feed flowed from the court, the news was saturated, the public was encapsulated, and the presiding officer issued warnings to the media. Despite this, the assertion that the media has no impact on presiding officers is strongly asserted. Deliberately ignoring the potential influence and failing to scrutinise the relationship between the media and the legal process, means we will never understand the impact the media may have on the criminal trial and on our presiding officers.
Published
2019-11-20
Issue
Section
Articles