Shephard Murder

I. Introduction

The article that I will be analyzing and critiquing was written by Ott and Aoki (2002). The article is about the Mathew Shepard murder that took place in Laramie, Wyoming during October of 1998. I will summarize and analyze the article by identifying the artifact examined and the dominant cultural ideology that the authors are challenging. I will also discuss the methodology that they used to make their claims in this study. Finally, I will critique the article by discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the author's argument and explain what I would have done differently if I had conducted the study.

II. Summary

In this study, Ott and Aoki (2002) examined various print media coverage of the Mathew Shepard murder from a critical perspective to show, in their opinion, that changes in social behavior are necessary (Baxter & Babbie, 2003). These artifacts included Time magazine, The Advocate, the Washington Post, the New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times. The last three are very large and influential national newspapers that covered the story. They collected a sample of seventy-one news articles from the sources listed. Ott and Aoki used these media publications and the manner in which they framed the story as their unit of analysis for their study. The authors goal was to "identify the underlying symbolic process and to analyze how it functions to construct and position citizens relative to the political process, and how it assists them in confronting and resolving public trauma" (Ott & Aoki, 2002, p. 484). The authors ideological concern and criticism is that "the media functioned ideologically to reaffirm a dominant set of discourses that socially stigmatizes gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered persons" (Ott & Aoki, 2002, p. 483). Ott and Aoki also assert that by tragically framing this event by using the scapegoat process, the media attempted to lessen the publics guilt concerning hate crimes and hamper attempts to endorse a policy that would prevent future anti-gay attacks.

Ott and Aoki (2002) identified four phases that were used by the media in framing this story. These phases are: naming the event, making a political symbol, expunging the evil within, and restoring the social order (Ott & Aoki, 2002). By naming the event, the media frames a story initially. As Ott and Aoki suggest, an event is selected as a major news story based on the potential that it has for drama. In regards to the Shepard murder, the media jumped on the anti-gay characteristic of the crime. The crime scene and the scarecrow image also added to the interest of the national press. According to the authors, the media framed homophobia and hatred toward homosexuals as character flaws of the attackers, not as a widespread social prejudice that is responsible for acts of violence towards gays and lesbians. The gruesomeness and motivation for the crime promoted a need for resolution. The next stage that Otto and Aoki (2002) describe is when Shepard becomes a political symbol for a campaign devoted to stopping hate crimes and anti-gay violence. The event resulted in prayers and vigils around the country in support of Shepard. He had been transformed into a martyr for two primary reasons. The first one was that he was a sweet kid and frail in appearance. People that were uncomfortable with homosexuality saw Shepard as nonthreatening and innocent. The second reason was "the dramatic structure of the narrative." Researchers hypothesize that if Shepard had been shot in the head and died instantly, there would have been less of a reaction from the public. But since it was a torturous style of murder, the public had a sense of guilt. The next phase is expunging the evil within. The researchers talk about the attackers being used as scapegoats. The media presented the attackers as representatives of their local and national communities and framed the community attitude as being consistent with theirs. Ott and Aoki noted that the news media regularly referenced the "homophobia in the Wyoming legislature" (2002, p. 491). The prevalence of this attitude around the entire country was highlighted following the attack. As I mentioned before, there was a shift in the media from a focus on the country's homophobia to that of the attackers. Ott and Aoki noted that it was recoded as a character flaw of the attackers rather than a countrywide prejudice towards homosexuals. Shepard's family condemned the death penalty for the two attackers. They felt that it was time to start the healing process and show mercy to someone who refused to show mercy to their son (Ott & Aoki, 2002). The final phase identified is restoring the social order. Henderson pleaded guilty to the crime and McKinney was convicted of murder and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences. Shortly after Shepard's death, a poll showed that seventy-six percent of the public favored legislation for hate-crimes (Ott & Aoki, 2002). Unfortunately, only one state, Missouri, actually passed new legislation.

Ott and Aoki's (2002) primary criticism focuses on how the media framed the Shepard murder