How the Media Changed Kobe Bryant's Image

Ever since the establishment of newspapers, radio stations and live television coverage, the media has been one of America's most important and controversial institutions. As the sole provider for the latest information regarding the world, the nation and the rest of politics, the media remains responsible for the information that citizens read, hear and know.

Over the years, however, the media in America has continually expanded its control and influence of information, altering the way viewers, readers and listeners view certain issues. Reporters today have continued to present their stories with several underlying ideologies and perspectives in order to grab the attention from America and its news-seeking citizens.

In particular, the Kobe Bryant rape trial was one of several stories significantly affected by the media's coverage of the case.

In The Press Effect, authors Kathleen Hall Jamieson and Paul Waldman reveal how the media in America determines what information the public should and should not know and understand. Reporters withhold this power to dictate how real-world events will be told and which views will be presented along with the facts. These frames, or perspectives, used in describing stories not only inform citizens about what is important but also influence public opinion (Jamieson and Waldman, xii).

Through extensive coverage on the Kobe Bryant case beginning in July of 2003, journalists exposed a multitude of different frames emanating from recent pretrial proceedings.

Primarily, each story on the trial focused its content on the fact that a celebrity had been charged with sexual assault. Celebrities and famous athletes are always important subjects for the media to scrutinize and discuss because citizens want to learn about those that they admire and respect deeply.