Brief 2: Tabloid News - Redefining a Murderer

Smoking hot in tabloid news is the decade-old case of Steven Avery. After spending 18 years in prison for a wrongful conviction of sexual assault, Avery was sent back after a mere four years as a free man. In 2007, Avery was convicted of the murder of Teresa Halbach. A controversial documentary titled Making a Murderer hit Netflix in December of 2013, and since Avery's name has become a headline hit. 

I've followed this case, not as adamantly as some, but one tabloid in particular that can't keep Avery's name out of their mouth is People Magazine. Just when the Avery-craze began, People posted an article about the topic fresh on viewers mind's: the jury. On Jan 5 the publication posted an article titled, Dismissed Steven Avery Juror Tells PEOPLE Jury Members Were Related to a Local Cop and a County Employee. To date, the article has been shared 23k times. The source of information was a juror from Avery's murder trial. Richard Mahler had been dismissed during deliberation for a family emergency. He told People:

"After the trial, I found out....[one juror] was the father of a Manitowoc County Sheriff's deputy. . . Another juror, his wife works for the Manitowoc County Clerk's Office."

The article begins and ends on a controversial note. The source says he spent four hours deliberating with fellow jurors, whom he claimed were at this standing: 7 innocent, three guilty, and two undecided. 

Another article on Jan 30 includes a snapshot of a letter Avery wrote to his supporters. People states what the note reads, and mocks Avery's handwriting. This is to be expected of tabloid news. It's just another reason why it's often taken with no more than a grain of salt. Unfortunately, that doesn't stop people from reading it. 

This publication has continued to follow the buzz, posting articles that intentionally ruffle the feathers of both anti and pro-Avery readers. Although the source for this article wouldn't be considered to distant from the case, the same cannot be said for that of another article from Feb 02. 

Steven Avery's Brother Gives New Details About Night of Teresa Halbach's Murder in First-Ever Interview, opened as expected. The article begins by claiming Earl Avery, the brother of Steven Avery who I was completely oblivious to, "has some unanswered questions." First of all, what kind of credibility can be given to a brother who didn't ask his questions almost a decade ago when Avery was facing murder charges? This tabloid article is the epitome of this new form's downfall. The hogwash presented here is laughable at best. 

"We drove right through [where] that car was supposed to be," Earl told People in regards to the vehicle of Haibach. "It wasn't there that night of the 31st. We were rabbit hunting." 

Apparently this confession deserved no merit when Steven was on trial. People calls this an "alarming statement," while prosecutors sit back and continue to roll their eyes. Meanwhile, in an article by the National Enquirer, the same story carries a bit more weight. It adds that Earl, "said he hasn't see his brother in a decade -- thanks to Steven accusing Earl and other brother Chuck of having some role in Teresea's death -- but the siblings spoke for the first time last week."

"He told me that his lawyers told him to say that . . . and he told me that he was frustrated that we wouldn't talk to him or go up to see him. . . I guess blood is blood, and you can't change that. Life is too short." 

This is an interesting addition to the already massively controversial case. However, it was well documented in the docu-series that the Avery family aren't strangers to backstabbing. It's a good thing, as I have said before in regards to this case, that speculation alone is not grounds for conviction.


Sources
Avery Juror
Avery Supporters
Avery Brother (People)
Avery Brother (NatEnq)