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Role and Responsibility of Media in Shaping Death Penalty

Paper Type: Free Essay Subject: Media
Wordcount: 3059 words Published: 16th Oct 2017

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Introduction:

Nothing has received more praise and abuse than Death penalty. As a global controversial issue, Death penalty has been discussed for centuries. From the definition of the death penalty, it is obvious that the punishment is brutal and inhuman for people who commit a severe crime simply because Death penalty deprives a human’s right of living on this earth. Since the peaceful lives are expected by the whole society, the crime of punishment is discussed by people anywhere at any time.

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Each country has different kind of crime punishment, but as for death punishment, it arise public attention and the whole democracy has focus on this issue. People hold different opinions regarding to the penalty of death, since it relates to people ‘lives. Some people support death punishment because they believe people should be punished for what they did wrong. Others refuse the regulation of death penalty, because they expect liberal. There are many reasons that people support or object the death penalty, which encompass the political consideration, Liberal consideration and democratic reasons. However, these people can be affected by the social media in reporting the content of death penalty. The website, video and TV are considered as the social media, which is produced as a movie or advertising video to educate public. People who watch the news or events related to news every day may tend to be affected by the media (Bandes,S. 2003). This is considered as the power of media, people may change their mind by following the content or idea from media (Bandes,S. 2003). The aim of this article is to discuss the popular global issue-death penal. The reasons why people hold different opinions regarding to death penalty are various and why the social media could people’s opinion, which is to say, the relationship between social media and death penalty.

Literature review

In a lot of countries, The law allows countries to life imprisonment, But reserves the right to life. At present, Law and practice about 109 countries against the death penalty, 86 countries retain and use of the death penalty, (AI 2001). In Europe, there is no country introduce the death penalty now; and in 1999, The UN Human Rights Commission called for a global moratorium on the death penalty (Dieter 1999). Between 1990 and 2001, More than 30 countries abolished the death penalty (AI 2001). the United States still different in death penalty . In 2000, just five countries of the world government approval to perform death penalty which are: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq ,United States and China. the U.S. was one of them that accounted for 88% of executions of the world’s known (AI 2001). In the 1990s, there are seven countries to execute prisoners for crimes under 18 years old which are Iran, Pakistan, Nigeria, Congo , Yemen, Saudi Arabia and American (AI 2001). 38 American states and both civilian and military jurisdictions currently authorize the death penalty for capital crimes. Of this gross of 40 jurisdictions, 24 perform commitment under 18 years old (Streib 2001).

Proposal

In this essay will focus on “how the media influencing and covering death penalty.” and “what the influence of social media on the people opinions’ about the death penalty.” Death penalty is known as the capital punishment, which means the legal process and sentence that put people into death as the consequences for being guilty (Soss, J., Langbein, L., & Metelko, A. R. 2003). There are many types of death penalty punishment, which includes burning, crushing by animals or car, falling, poison gas, hanging, sawing, shooting and so on (Niven, D. 2002). There are all brutal and horrible in the modern society which people carries the ideas of peace and cooperation. The establishment of these methods of death penalty strongly protects the whole society and people and makes sure that the criminal have the consideration of death when committing crime (Tyler & Weber, 1982). However, everyone makes mistake and it does mean the person who make the mistake deserve death. For example, in most countries, stealing is not punished for death, but it is considered as illegal action. Therefore, how do we define if the crime is fair or unfair? As many case reveals the wrongful conviction and innocent people who dose not make the crime are killed. With respect to the reasons, people who support capital punishment would think that killers need to pay the price for what they do, slight punishment is not enough to prevent them from killing again (Wonkglog 2014). However the capital punishment is deemed to be unfair because the regulation is different from countries to countries. To illustrate, killers is sentenced to death in America but for those people who kill someone in Australia, it will only be sentenced into jail. Furthermore, some people believe that the criminal should be given the second chance, because they may be forced to kill someone or commit a crime as self-defense.

Moreover, the capital punishment is an effective way to reduce crime rate (Sotirovic, Mira, 2001). Admittedly, everyone is afraid of death. Sometimes people are guilty because they need survive. Consequently, death punishment will be major consideration when they conducting a crime, such as killing, violation of women or bribery. Due to the implementation of death punishment, the rate of crime is decreased. For example, the White people are strongly supported for the death penalty for the consideration of the racial attitudes and composition. Since racial discrimination is severe in the US, everything related to the Black will be underestimated or discriminated by the White. Also, from the previous case or the imaginary content of books, movies or TV shows, the Black are deemed to conduct more severe crime for surviving. As the Black possesses low living standards, most Black people are sentenced to be guilty because they expect better living quality. They are forced to steal and kill or duplicate ID.

Because of the ambivalence, people are susceptible changing his mind. Social media play integral role in influencing people’s mind on the implementation of the death penalty. Media exaggerates and highlights the problems in the application of death penalty by evaluating the fairness of capital punishment (Lipschultz, J. H., & Hilt, M. L. 1999). To be specific, to protect the safety of the society, the government tries to put up with effective way to deal with the crime rate. It is not possible that the government can educate and encourage each person to behave well, follow the moral instruction, obey the related laws and regulations, discipline as a reputable citizen. Therefore, the application of social media will assist government to report and reveal the nature of problems on the crime to the public. Since social media is an effective communicative tool that links people and people, people and society to interact each other globally. For example, a large amount of information events and news can be seen from web-based Internet, TV, newspaper and on-line videos. These are useful tools as the public advocation when people using the social media to understand the information around their lives.

The positive and negative effect of media on peoples opinion about death penalty

The influence of social media on the people opinions’ about the death penalty can be positive or negative (Lynch, 2002). As for the negative point, media tend to exaggerate the problem regarding to the crime in order to tell people that the reality and crime is closely related and thus leading people to moral noble instruction and positive attitudes. The purpose of social media exposure and report crime is to educate the public in an opposite way, which is telling people the serious For instance, in America, the Black is discriminated. Most movies, related videos demonstrate the violence and bloody picture and pornographic contents about the black crime. Publishing and describing the negative side of the Black to people, the society and the whole world that the Black is dangerous and ruthless.

Then, people are aware of the Black is dangerous and they will threaten the facilities and societies and tries to connect with them, avoid them to be friends or neighbors. Also, with more and more unhealthy, bloody and pornographic content exited via media, people, especially youngsters are affected by these content and thus their minds are changed followed by these. Indirectly, it is easy for them to go astray and more violent, supportive for the death penalty, instead losing the nature of real young people that possess native, nice and kind-hearted. Therefore, people tend to be more supportive of the death penalty in protecting themselves and societies. With respect to the positive effect, the social media is powerful tool to encourage people and the whole society to behave well as a responsible, law-abiding citizen. The media release the political news, economic information or Cultural issues, which are all considered as useful way to make people know more about the world and thus, understanding the right or wrong, what is a good responsible person? What should be done or what should not be done as responsible citizens? In understanding and acquiring more information regarding the politics and economics, people have the lower chance to commit crime. The primary aim of the creation of media is to educate and provide more information to public.

The invention of social media is to offer the close relationship between people and people, people and society or the whole world. Given that each country has own sort of regulation and rules, but the main purpose is to make the better development of the society and improve the people’s living standards, provide the peace and security to people’s lives. Considering this reason, the government applies various of media resource to educate people or obtaining the democratic opinion on some important decisions. Specifically, some related video, newspaper and Internet are compiled with a story or documentary content of crime to be published with the purpose acquiring the public opinions or may change the people’s mind. For example, people who against death penalty change the mind due to the governmental advocation of the media. The liberal and democratic consideration is always the crucial when people thinking the punishment of crime. However, because the media highlights the problems of crime and the punishment, people consequently may choose opposite side to support capital punishment in protecting the whole society.

Some citizens believe that death is bloody, violent and high profile, which indicates that the countries have no consideration of peace and sympathy. Also, it will bring a great impact in the education children’s lives. Although the media and press will cover the content or information of the real punishment of death, such as how one person should is killed by gun shot or how one person should is hanged by the rope, children can understand their countries have the regulation or laws about the death penalty. Because children are part of social media, they also, connect with the world; there is no doubt that, they can find the information via media regarding the crime punishment.

The influence of media is tremendous.

In the contemporary society, many actors and actress features the movies or TV shows which tells the duplicated and imaginary story and case of crime and punishment. After being sentenced as guilty, if the crime is server enough, such as killing or raping, the death penalty will be applied (Slater, M. D., Rouner, D., & Long, M. 2006). Also, some bloody and unhealthy pictures are demonstrated in front of viewers, which mean people will be affected by the media potentially through watching these. In the movie of Saint of Joan, the French girl Joan was participated in the Country War to fight with England Arm. During the fight with the intruders, she was suspected as a traitor and sentenced as the death by fire. This is a good example of death penalty being implemented in an innocent people. In fact, there are several wrongful cases that innocent people being sentenced into jail or executed as death.

What’s more, people could interact through media to discuss the crime related case or whether the death crime is appropriated around the society. Also, some governmental agency registered own account number on Twitter or Facebook to facilitate the discussion with the society and thus knowing if the democracy is supportive for the death penalty. Twitter and Face book provide the stage that billions of people could communicate and discuss the latest or popular news or events, no matter the limitation of the distance is bothered. Since Twitter and Facebook is globalized website and have share-linked function. People who live in the planet could communicate each other regarding global issue. One countries can attain the ideas or opinions regarding the implementation of penalty death from people who come from other countries in order to know what others people believe. Therefore the development of the countries can be better.

Some people commit the guilty but the reasons can be forgiven by the public. It is common that some unsolved cases are being uploaded into website to let the public. The criminal acknowledge the guilty but he or she may be forced to do that or for the purpose of self-defense. The media provides that channel to people to speak or deliver their own opinions. People represent democracy and may have the opinions represents democracy, which means they have the sympathy on the criminal who can provide the reasons that could be forgiven to commit crime (Conquergood, 2002). By considering the opinions from people, the policeman and the government may or may not take the opinion from people but at least the democratic opinion will affect the final sentence they will be given. Also, considering the people’s opinions will reduce the chance of executed a innocent people and a false claim, because the multiple opinions and suggestions will improve the accuracy of a case.

Death is not the best way to solve the problem of killing

Sometimes, even the case is finished and the criminal is sentenced into death, it not the best solution for what he or she did harmful to people or the society. To illustrate, death is not the best way to solve the problem of killing. Instead, it still left panic or scare to the whole society. The primary purpose of death punishment is to ensure that people who make the severe crime, such as serial killer is responsible for what he or she did and thus it will not happen and threaten people and society in the future (Capital punishment, 2014). If the serial killer has already cause the panic and scare to people and society, capital punishment cannot help to solve the problem. After killing them, people are still scared of going outside alone at night or working alone at night. This indicates that the problem is not solved and people’s lives have been affected. Therefore, the key point is to solve the problem radically, which means make the serial killer get punished and also give the society the peace and security.

Last but not the least, the criminals make the crime because they are most physically and psychologically defect and probably lack of good education when they are young. Moreover, it is possible that the criminals have the bad living standards or inferior environment around them. Most case shows that large majority of criminals are from single parent family or they are divorced or they are suffered from harmful thing and horrible experience during the lives (McLeod et al. (1995). Therefore, it is effective and valid for the government to utilize social media as a channel to deliver more educated and moral documentary, motivational films on the TV, website or video. Also, the encouragement of young people accepts education when they are young and the government and parents should be supportive for children’s education. The crime rate is closely related to the education (Howard, 1995). In order to reduce the crime rate, the government should be not only educating public but also applying the cooperation of the social media. In providing the effective educational documentary via social media, people tend to behave well knowing how to be a responsible person and knowing the right thing to do and release positive energy to the whole society.

Conclusion

To sum up, death punishment which is known as the capital punishment is considered as brutal and ruthless in the contemporary society. To evaluate if this implementation is fair or unfair has been discussed globally. People hold different opinions because they pursue different things. As for many reasons, political, liberal and democratic consideration, the consequence of death penalty has arisen for various feedbacks. For those who support death penalty, they believe a good development and security of society can not live without punishment by people who do wrong. Death punishment is an effective tool in protecting the security and safety of human and society, so it is necessary. However, People who refuse the implementation of death penalty think it is brutal and will bring negative effective to the whole society, especially children; the key point is to solve the problem radically. These are under the consideration of liberal and democratic. Social media is a powerful tool to education public with delivering the crime case to people and making them to behave moral and get away from the crime. It also highlights and exaggerates the problem of crime and thus makes people changes’ the mind and following the media. Everyone has the right to make the mistake and the right to be forgiven by public. Death penalty may be too serious for people but if the society is lack of severe punishment, the whole countries will be in chaos and people’s lives can not be guaranteed.

 

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