The fate of
Cherelle Baldwin is being challenged as she faces trial for the murder of her
ex-boyfriend. Democracy Now, an independent activist news outlet, features her
story on the front page of the website as the first breaking news story. A still
from a video of Baldwin filled with tears in her eyes is positioned directly to
the left of the title reading “The Price of Fighting Back: How Woman Faces 60
Years in Prison for the Death of Her Abusive Ex.” Instantly, the story is
framed by the image of Baldwin crying evoking sympathy from the reader while
the title continues to push the story as a “the price” of her actions. The
article uses kind language when referring to Baldwin first presenting the court
documents where her boyfriend had threatened and abused her. Then, the article
mentions the murder and the case directly at hand. Never does not directly
quote the police affidavits, instead it refers to them with dramatic language
like how Brown was “choking her with his belt.” The only use of outside
information comes from the mention of a recent article by Victoria Law as the
paragraph ends with the title of the piece: “"Facing Years in Prison for
Fleeing Abuse: Cherelle Baldwin’s Story is Far from Unique." Lastly, the
story ends dramatically with the inclusion of a transcript from an interview
Democracy Now conducted with Baldwin’s mother, Cynthia Long, and Victoria Law.
In the transcript, the questions Democracy now ask are mostly general like tell
us about the case or what was the time frame until the interviewer mentions the
current climate of the prosecution after the George Zimmerman and Trayvon
Martin cases. This framing structure further shifts the narrative as placing
Baldwin in a more favorable light as a victim of the criminal justice system.
In stark
contrast, NBC Connecticut, reported the story as “Woman Killed Boyfriend With
Car: Cops” Directly under this title, is a Baldwin’s mugshot. Using the image
of the mugshot frames the story and Baldwin as the direct perpetrator, guilty
on all counts. The article additionally includes a subheading, “Cherelle
Baldwin is accused of crushing Jefferey Brown against a cinder-block wall.” The
position of this sentence begins with the direct case with harsh language like
“crushing” and “cinder-block wall.” The title could have read, “Baldwin is
accused of killing Brown,” but using the word crushing pushing the narrative to
paint Baldwin in a negative light. The article walks through the logistics of
the case, but in-between paragraphs is an ad-like break that states “Famous Mug
Shots,” where when clicked opens a gallery of mug shots of famous criminals.
The popout seems unrelated, however it continues to add to this negative frame
constructured around Baldwin as criminal. The article is broken into short and
conscience paragraphs, some only one sentence long like “Baldwin is being held
on $1 million bond and is due in court on July 16” adding a sense of drama to
her case and her actions.
The
Huffington Post reports the story as “Woman
On Trial In Ex-Boyfriend’s Murder Testifies He Was ‘Controlling, Abusive.’”
Under the title is again an image of Baldwin, but instead of a mugshot, it is a
selfie from Baldwin’s personal Instagram account. The smiling happy image is of
Baldwin compliments the first sentence of the piece: “Cherelle Baldwin held
back tears Tuesday as she told a jury how her ex-boyfriend Jeffrey Brown
whipped her with his belt and then wrapped it around her neck as her
19-month-old son cried nearby.” Immediately, the ethos of the language strongly
favors Baldwin as she “holds back tears” with her “19-month-old son.” Baldwin
here and in the Democracy Now piece is not framed as a murderer, she is framed
as a victim. The Huffington Post piece uses Baldwin as a source quoting from
her testimony saying “All I could think about was the baby.” Again, the
journalists could have quoted any part of the testimony, but they chose that
specific line to contribute to their composed narrative. Unlike the previous
two articles, the end lists the journalist responsible for the piece and then a
continued statement that she will follow the story and asks for “Tips?” and
Feedback?” The three different sources report the event as tragedy, but whose
tragedy is what is framed.
Links to articles:
http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/Woman-Killed-Boyfriend-With-Car-Cops-210901711.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/cherelle-baldwin-murder-trial_us_56f1b0f7e4b02c402f659c84
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