Project Three Guidelines and Rubric

Competency

In this project, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following competency:

• Analyze the influence of the media on the field of criminal justice

Scenario

Responsible reporting and fact checking are at the heart of being a journalist. However, understanding key concepts of criminal cases provides insights that can assist to enhance reporting. To cultivate fundamental knowledge about an array of professions that intersect with various media platforms, a local school of journalism created a 2-day professional workshop for licensed and aspiring journalists. As the Public Information Officer (PIO) for a large police department, you have been invited to present this workshop to the journalists. Your presentation will incorporate a review of a court case that was covered by the media. You will review how the media covered key concepts in the case and if the media’s reporting had an impact on the roles of the criminal justice professionals involved and practices related to the case. The goal of this workshop is to provide journalists with an example of how their role in the media can impact the criminal justice field.

Directions

In this assignment, you will choose a criminal case and analyze how the media impacted it. You will then create a presentation that describes the case, the main issue in the case that was sensationalized by the media, and how the media may have had an impact on criminal justice professionals and practices, along with the public’s perception. Choose one of the following criminal cases to focus on:

• William R. Horton
• Pamela Smart
• Dominic Cinelli
• George Zimmerman

The following required elements should be included:

1. In 75-100 words, craft a brief summary of a criminal case in which the media had an impact.
   1. Describe the pertinent facts and legal points of the case.
   2. Describe who was involved and where the case took place.
2. In 100-150 words, describe at least one main issue in the case that the media focused on. Consider the following in your description:
   1. Is it a discretion issue or a societal issue?
   2. Why was this the main issue?
3. In 100-150 words, describe how the media questioned the roles and actions of criminal justice professionals in the case regarding the issue identified. Consider the following in your description:
   1. Whose roles and actions were questioned by the media?
   2. How were the roles and actions directly related to the issue identified?
4. In 100-150 words, explain if and how criminal justice practices have adapted as a result of the media’s involvement in the case. Consider the following in your explanation:
   1. If they have adapted, how?
   2. If they have not adapted, why do you think this is?
5. In 100-150 words, explain how the media may have influenced the public’s perception.
   1. Describe any actions by the public that may have been a result of the media’s influence.
   2. Explain the role the media may have played in the public’s perception of the criminal justice professionals involved in the case and/or practices related to the case.

What to Submit

To complete this project, you must submit the following:

Media Influence on a Criminal Case Presentation
For this assignment, create a presentation on the media’s impact on the criminal case chosen. Sources should be cited according to APA style.

An optional template (linked in the Supporting Materials section) has been created to aid you in completing this project.

Supporting Materials

The following resource(s) may help support your work on the project:

Document: Project Three Template (optional) attached to files
Although this template is not required to complete your project, you may find it helpful.

Document: Case Resources attached to files
This document will provide resources for the case you choose for this project. You may need to conduct additional research to address all required elements.