Amanda Knox and the Media

Gina Pardue

SPEA-J 370 Popular Culture and Crime
Instructor Stephanie N. Whitehead, PhD

4/15/2012 Amanda Knox is an American student who was studying abroad in Italy when was accused and convicted of murdering her roommate, Meredith Kercher, and was found innocent of the crimes after serving four years in an Italian prison. The scrutiny surrounding this case is one of media influence and how it set her fate. Knox was not able to get a fair trial in Italy because of the negative image the media painted of her. With no concrete evidence, people believed she was guilty because of the horrible and twisted opinions of her in the media.
Amanda Marie Knox Before The Murder
He had been caught in a children’s school with a knife and stolen objects. He traveled to Germany claiming he was looking for work. Both he and Sollecito wore Nike shoes. (Dempsey, 2010) When Knox and Sollecito returned to the station at 11AM, Sollecito was sent home and Knox was taken to her home. They took her downstairs to the home of Kercher’s boyfriend and showed her blood spots and asked her if she thought it was strange. She told them it was strange. Later on, Sollecito and Knox shopped in town for a sweatshirt and undergarments for Knox. She was not allowed to gather her things from her home and she was still in her clothes from two days before. They were photographed shopping and purchasing the undergarments so the media used that against Knox. The media made it look like Knox and Sollecito were shopping for lingerie as if Knox’s roommate had not been murdered. The Luciferina image was only getting worse for Knox. (Dempsey, 2010) The country of Italy is not as open to women as the United States is. It is not common to see women living alone or to be in public unescorted. On a recent trip to Italy last month I was questioned by many merchants because my 12 year old daughter and I were traveling alone. The merchants were shocked to learn that I had a husband and that he was not traveling with us. Knox ran into the same issues. It is also not common for women to have