People Are Calling George Clooney's New True Crime 'Trial By Media' An 'Emotional Rollercoaster'
Published
| Last updated
Featured Image Credit: Netflix
On Monday, Netflix treated us to a brand new true crime docu-series: Trial By Media.
The six-part series, exec produced by none other than George Clooney, is hooked to one big question: how much impact does the media have on trials?
And so far, it has not disappointed, with fans taking to Twitter to claim they're already "hooked," despite the fact it's a difficult and emotional watch.
Each episode essentially pulls apart a high-profile trial that won huge attention from the press, examining how big an influence the media may have had over the eventual verdict.
As the retelling of various trials unfolds, the series shines a light on the corresponding news cycle, looking at media storytelling and the tabloid press' ability to sway the court of public opinion.
Loading…
It's certainly left people with a lot of feelings.
"I cant binge watch #TrialbyMedia because so far every episode leaves me mentally drained and so angry. It's an emotional rollercoaster for me," one wrote.
As another agreed: "Some of these stories of #trialbymedia on Netflix are hard to watch".
A third signed off a tweet about the series by writing: "I don't know why I watch this before bed as I get so wound up".
Episode one looks into the chilling 1995 murder of talk-show guest Scott Amedure. The case involved a guest on daytime talk show Jenny Jones Show, who admitted to having a crush on his friend Jonathan Schmitz, who later murdered him as a result.
Schmitz appeared on an episode called Same Sex Secret Crushes, where Amedure's fantasies about him were revealed.
And at the time, he appeared to take it relatively well, but three days later he fatally shot Amedure at the home they lived in together in Lake Orion, Michigan.
To viewers' outrage, Schmitz went on to garner sympathy from the media, after he claimed he killed his friend due to being "embarrassed on national television".
"Jonathan Schmitz really got this much sympathy because he hauled off and killed a man who told him he had a crush on him? The blatant homophobia these people are still proudly displaying is gross #trialbymedia," one wrote.
While another fumed: "The blatant homophobia in the Jonathan Schmitz case. Why has the criminal become the victim ?#trialbymedia".
Elsewhere the series examines the money-laundering trial of former CEO Richard Scrushy, the 1983 rape case of Cheryl Araujo, the police shooting of Guinean immigrant Amadou Diallo, the attempted killing of the 'subway vigilante', as well as the charges of corruption against former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich.
One thing is for sure - it's definitely not an easy watch, but it is an important one.
Topics: True Crime, TV News, TV Entertainment, Netflix
