"A country remains in shock as hero Pistorius charged with murder"

From Sports Illustrated

Review by Anne Comber in SRM 334 (section 1)

On February 14, 2013, South Africa’s media exploded when news of their double-amputee, heroic sprinter was charged with premeditated murder of his model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. This terrible tragedy was exposed to the public immediately after news reporters found out the story. South Africa’s citizens went into shock as their global inspiration stood in the courtroom awaiting bail. 

With little defense the news was even more shocking when the media released details of the incident that took place in Pistorius’s heavily guarded mansion. His house was thoroughly inspected and there was no evidence of a burglar breaking an entry. Pistorius told police he mistook his 29-year-old girlfriend for an intruder and shot his 9-mm firearm to protect himself. South Africa is known for violent crimes, especially house robberies and this sparks a rising issue of gun ownership. Pistorius shot through the bathroom door four times, striking Steenkamp in the head with one of the shots. Steenkamp had allegedly locked herself in the bathroom and blood spatter patterns showed she was carried or ran down stairs still alive. There are my unanswered questions regarding the incident and sooner or later the truth with come out.

The Media portrays Pistorius as a hero one minute and villain the next. This is relevant to this course because it shows how the media turns a well-known, inspirational athlete into a murder without all the facts. Many athletes have done things they are not so proud of but because of the media they are remembered for their faults instead of their achievements.
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Review by Wade Martin in SRM 334 (section 1)

Oscar Pistorius, an Olympic runner, is accused of killing his girlfriend and model Reeva Steenkamp. He believed there was a break in at his home and shot through a bathroom door mistaking Steenkamp for a robber. There are many questions about what really happened but all the facts are still not known. Pistorius was recently granted bail and will be free until trial. Pistorius is known as one the greatest runners and inspirational stories in the world. He just recently became the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics and became the media’s hero to all of South Africa. Pistorius's life was all changed in one night. He went from one of Time’s magazines most influential people to murderer in a matter of hours. Pistorius is a great example of how the media can build a person up to get a great story and bring the person back down just as fast. 

Pistorius may be guilty but in a country where violence is a major issue, there is a chance it really was an accident. In the past, Pistorius may not have been automatically seen him as a murderer but instead as heartbroken man who made a mistake. The evolution of media has created writers looking for readers anyway they can get it, even if the story is not fully developed. One columnist used Pistorius’s misfortune to go from relatively unknown local reporter to a reporter with a couple hundred thousand twitter followers. He gained this following just by live tweeting from the bail hearing. It has come to a point where a reader can get up to the second updates on the case just by following a South African reporter.

This story is relevant because of social media. Pistorius is not only on trial with the South African government but every human being around the world with a smart phone. It is also relevant because media has changed over the years from covering only what they felt they had too, to know doing whatever is necessary to get readers and attention.