Blog #7

Article: In Netflix’s Central Park Five miniseries, Trump is called a ‘bigot’ whose ’15 minutes’ are almost up

This article talks about Donald Trump’s involvement in the Central Park Five case. When the case had initially presented itself in 1989, Trump had paid $85,000 to have the crime placed on four different newspapers on a full page. He made it clear that he had wanted the death penalty to come back so that the young boys would face justice, even though they were not the ones who committed the crime and were not even tried in a court of law. Trump’s ads and newspaper article during this time worsened the situation on the Central Park Five case and increased the amount of racism the young boys were already facing. This is relevant to the topic I have chosen because it shows how Donald Trump had played a huge role in the way the Central Park Five were viewed by the public. He had an effect on the way the media viewed the boys, which negatively impacted their families as well.

Source: Butler, Bethonie. “In Netflix’s Central Park Five miniseries, Trump is called a ‘bigot’ whose ’15 minutes’ are almost up.” Washington Post, 31 May 2019. Gale Academic OneFilehttps://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A587302053/AONE?u=lehman_main&sid=AONE&xid=48798fad. Accessed 17 Nov. 2020.

Article: Central Park Five reality: How can you forget the real truth-tellers of the Central Park Five?

This article further talks about the way in which the media portrayed the Central Park Five. The article mentions how Donald Trump was the person who brought out the idea of the death penalty to have “justice” be served. It also mentions how the term, “wilding”, originated from the case. This term was used as a way to describe the actions of all of the young men who were at Central Park during the time the white woman was raped and murdered. Additionally, this article also mentions those who believed and knew the boys were innocent of the crime. The Black press and activists of that time all believed that the young boys were being coerced and attacked by the police due to their race. This article is also relevant to my topic because it mentions those who were against the boys and who believed in them. It also gives more background information about the case.

Source: “Central Park Five reality: How can you forget the real truth-tellers of the Central Park Five?” New Pittsburgh Courier [Pittsburgh, PA], 3 July 2019, p. B3. Gale OneFile: Newshttps://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A594664853/STND?u=lehman_main&sid=STND&xid=ebe44e97. Accessed 17 Nov. 2020.

Article: Transforming the Central Park jogger into the Central Park Five: Shifting narratives of innocence and changing media discourse in the attack on the Central Park jogger, 1989–2014

This article analyzes the way in which the media, especially The New York Times, decided to portray the Central Park Five case. It explores how the media had portrayed the case from the beginning and how this portrayal changed over time. This article shows how the Central Park Five case received a lot of attention in comparison to other cases and crimes that were taking place during that time. It shows how the media preferred to release news that would be “shocking” to society. This article is relevant to my topic because it further shows the media’s portrayal of the case and how the media functions in general. Despite the severity of the case, the media released many articles on the Central Park Five without focusing on the fact that the boys were coerced and were innocent.

Source: Stratton, Greg. “Transforming the Central Park Jogger into the Central Park Five: Shifting Narratives of Innocence and Changing Media Discourse in the Attack on the Central Park Jogger, 1989–2014.” Crime, Media, Culture, vol. 11, no. 3, Dec. 2015, pp. 281–297, doi:10.1177/1741659015592794.

Comments ( 2 )

  1. Zayneb Saad
    I found the story of the Central Park Five to be extremely heart-breaking and I find it interesting to see the outside factors play into this case so heavily.
  2. Asya Parson
    central park five was really sad I couldn't even watch the movie I really look foward to your essay because I like social justice and standing up for my people.

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