Kalief Browder

The media has always and will always play a significant role in how stories are told and portrayed. The only question is, is the media attention helping the victim or is the attention helping the media?

One of the benefits that could come from the media coverage would be that Rikers Island and how they operate will be exposed. During Kaliefs time as well as many other boys and men in the prison were subjected to constant assaults from the other prisoners as well as beatings from the guards.

To continue, Kalief told the story of “The Program”, joining the program was a way for the prisoners and correction officers to bully inmates into giving up their phone time or food. If the inmates failed to join the program, they were subjected to constant assaults by both inmates and guards. Furthermore, there were multiple guards who were accused of recruiting inmates into joining a fight club. The guards would coerce inmates into jumping other inmates who broke the rules or inmates that didn’t want to be apart of the program. Not only did the guards join in on the beatings but they also did not try to stop them. during Kaliefs time in jail his mental health was also deteriorating, he attempted his life multiple times in prison, and when he was released.

In this case, the media is able to compose a proper story that would generate a very high reach and frequency. The media and Kalief are able to showcase what truly happens to the inmates at Rikers Island through their docuseries. In the docuseries, the former United States attorney for the southern district of NewYork said “where a culture of violence endures, even while a code of silence prevails” (Preet Bharara). I think that this quote is an accurate representation of what has been happening at Rikers Island and the docuseries has portrayed that with exceptional evidence. Lastly, I do think that the media was conscious of the ethic of care and how it would affect Kalief but also the state of New York. Although Kaliefs story ended in his demise, his story and activism has brought an opportunity to New York City and the court system in the United States to be better.

Lauricella, S. (2020, August 17). Picturing justice for Kalief Browder: Documentary film and the ethics of media advocacy. Media Ethics Initiative. https://mediaethicsinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/88-browder-documentery-case-study.pdf