Trial by Media The Truth Behind the Crime – Episode 1: Talk Show Murder

(available of Netflix)

FTC Rating: 5 out of 5

Ricki Lake, Maury Povich, Jerry Springer, Geraldo Rivera, all household names, peddling hours of mindless entertainment through the magic of television. Many tune in to these daytime talk shows to escape the stresses of daily life, indulging in an innocent bit of voyeurism, before returning to their routines. The same cannot be said of Scott Bernard Amedure, a guest on the Jenny Jones Show, who got far more than he bargained for after he confessed to a secret crush during the show’s taping. A tragic story of homophobia, media exploitation and the death of a young man.

Strengths:

-Concise but effective retelling of events

-A wide variety of opinions expressed by activists, lawyers, family members, TV personalities, fans etc.

-Good coverage of the criminal and civil trials

-Great selection of talk show clips

Final Thought:

I wonder if Jonathan Schmitz would have reacted the same way if he was not his father’s son.