Wednesday, May 4, 2011

‘Murder Abroad: The Amanda Knox Story’ – CNN’s Drew Griffin Reports


Do we finally have a fair and accurate account from the American media regarding the Amanda Knox case? Don’t bet on it! This Sunday, CNN will debut a one-hour documentary on the case (May 8, 8:00p.m., ET & PT).

It has been reported that, in the special, the host, Drew Griffin, will conduct a rare television interview with the chief prosecutor in the case, Giuliano Mignini. However, don’t expect a very fair analysis from Griffin, as he reports that Mignini “reveals a pattern of prosecutorial behavior that raises questions about the original conviction” (CNN).

Griffin traveled to Perugia to report for this story. He also traveled to Seattle to speak to Knox’s family, which I am assuming will be the bulk of the special (YAWN)—like we have not heard that side many times. Moreover, Griffin reports much more of the same: rehashed inaccuracies of the case. For example, regarding the special Griffin writes that he [Griffin] will “debrief viewers on Knox’s now-disputed confession – obtained after days of unrelenting questioning, and according to Knox, even physical abuse by police interrogators” (CNN).

So, all in all, this documentary is shaping up to be more of the same: more inaccuracies, more biased reporting, more “proclaimed case experts” who show little real knowledge of the events, and more one-sided reporting. I will give credit to Griffin for actually traveling to Perugia to interview Mignini, if that is in fact what has occurred. However, I expect this interview to be somewhat of a set-up, insofar as Griffin only did the interview to put a spin on Mignini’s position and paint him as the “Monster” he has been portrayed throughout. Just my opinion, time will tell…

Todd Schwarzchild is the senior producer for Murder Abroad; Marcus Hooper is associate producer. Bud Bultman is managing editor and Scott Matthews is the executive producer for the CNN Special Investigations and Documentaries productions unit.

In case you miss it or your TiVo is broken, CNN will also replay the special on Saturday, May 14 at 8:00p.m., ET & PT.

PART 2

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4 comments:

  1. I'm watching the special now. Having followed the case for 2 years now, I'm appalled at how one-sided this special is. Our media is such a joke now. They've decided that Amanda is innocent. All the evidence to the contrary be damned.

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  2. I agree Mumz, I had to shower after to wash off the utter disgust…

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  3. I just finished watching it, and I thought it was incredibly biased. I don't know whether she did it, but I have read enough about the crime and the trial to know that this was a strikingly one-sided report. Very tabloidy in its presentation, too.

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  4. Thanks for your post Sasha,
    I agree. I don’t have a problem when people make mistakes when reporting, we are all human. But, when inaccuracies and omissions are intentional, particularly from national news agencies, it is very disheartening!

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