Phrase describing excessive media coverage
News media satellite up-link trucks and photojournalists gathered outside thePrudential Financial headquarters inNewark, New Jersey , in August 2004 following the announcement of evidence of a terrorist threat to it and to buildings inNew York City . Media circus is acolloquial metaphor , oridiom , describing anews event for which the level of media coverage—measured by such factors as the number ofreporters at the scene and the amount of material broadcast or published—is perceived to be excessive or out of proportion to the event being covered. Coverage that issensationalistic can add to the perception the event is the subject of a media circus. The term is meant to critique the coverage of the event by comparing it to thespectacle and pageantry of acircus . Usage of the term in this sense became common in the 1970s.[ 1] [ 2] media feeding frenzy or just media frenzy, especially when the media coverage itself is covered.
Tonya Harding arriving atPortland International Airport after the1994 Winter Olympics Although the idea is older, the termmedia circus began to appear around the mid-1970s. An early example is from the 1976 book by author Lynn Haney, in which she writes about a romance in which then-worldNo. 1 -ranked Americantennis athleteChris Evert was involved: "Their courtship, after all, had been a 'media circus.' " [ 3] The Washington Post Princess Grace herself is still traumatized by the memory of her ownmedia-circus wedding toPrince Rainier in 1956."[ 4]
Media circuses make up the central plot device in the 1951 movieAce in the Hole The Big Carnival , with "carnival" referring to what we now call a "circus".In the film, the disaster attracts campers including a real circus.The movie was based on real-lifeFloyd Collins who in 1925 was trapped in a Kentucky cave drawing so much media attention that it became the third largest media event between the twoWorld Wars (the other two beingLindbergh's solo flight and theLindbergh kidnapping ).[ 5]
Events described as a media circus include:
Albert Johnson aka Mad Trapper of Rat River , a trapper fleeing RCMP concerning a dispute with local indigenous over trapping rights evades a manhunt for a month over 240 km, ending in a shootout at a cabin (1932)Conrad Black , business magnate of newspapers, convicted of fraud, embezzlement and corporate destruction, imprisoned in Florida (2007)[ 13] Toronto mayorRob Ford 's life, including his usage of drugs, alcohol and involvement with organized crime (2013)[ 14] [ 15] [ 16] Paul Bernardo andKarla Homolka (serial killers) convicted for the murders ofTammy Homolka ,Leslie Mahaffy , andKristen French (1987–1992)[ 17] Omar Khadr (detained as a minor at Guantanamo Bay in 2001, transferred to Canada in 2012, released in May 2015)[ 18] Luka Rocco Magnotta , who murdered hisChinese-national roommate and mailed his remains to schools and public offices in 2012 before fleeing to Germany where he was arrested.Fatal traffic accident of the Neville-Lake children and their grandfather (2015)[ 19] [ 20] [ 21] [ 22] Cameras and reporters in front of theStrauss-Kahn apartment on May 26, 2011 The 1924 murder trials ofBeulah Annan ,Belva Gærtner , and several other female suspects in Chicago, adapted into theChicago [ 74] The 1932kidnapping of toddler Charles Lindbergh Jr. JournalistH. L. Mencken described the incident as "the biggest story since theResurrection ".[ 75] The early 1930s string ofpublic enemies , ranging from mafia leaders such asAl Capone to smaller-time gangsters, most enduringly famouslyBonnie and Clyde [ 76] The 1954 trial ofSam Sheppard . TheU.S. Supreme Court held "massive, pervasive, and prejudicial publicity" prevented him from receiving a fair trial[ 77] The1965 littering trial against singerArlo Guthrie and Richard Robbins, deliberately turned into a local media circus by arresting officerWilliam Obanhein to deter others from repeating their actions[ 78] Coverage of the investigation and trial of the1969 murders ofSharon Tate and four others by theManson family [ 79] Themurder of John Lennon in December 1980. David Gelman, Peter Greenberg, et al. inNewsweek Gary Gilmore in Utah....In the Gilmore affair, he was like a ringmaster in what became a media circus, with sophisticated newsmen scrambling for what he had to offer"[ 80] Therescue of baby Jessica McClure (1987)[ 81] TheO. J. Simpson murder case (1994–1995)[ 50] [ 51] The Blizzard of '96 (1996), "...this storm ...so hyped by the media in the same way that theO. J. Simpson murder case became hyped as the "Trial of the century "[ 82] TheClinton–Lewinsky scandal (1998)[ 83] [ 84] [ 85] TheElián González custody conflict (2000)[ 86] TheSummer of the Shark (2001)[ 87] [ 88] [ 89] The trial of Scott Peterson for themurder of his wife Laci Peterson (2004), "The circus became even more raucous when Peterson went on trial for murder in 2004"[ 90] The trial ofMartha Stewart (2004), "The stone-faced Stewart never broke stride as she cut a path through the media circus"[ 91] TheRunaway bride case (2005)[ 92] The disappearance ofStacy Peterson (2007)[ 93] The alleged teenage "pregnancy pact " atGloucester High School (2008)[ 94] The Casey Anthony murder trial (2011), "Once again, it was relentless media coverage that in large part fed the fascination with the case", Ford observed[ 95] [ 96] [ 97] [ 98] Thekilling of Trayvon Martin (2012), "Here is where the media circus takes a decidedly ugly turn", Eric Deggans wrote[ 99] Themurder of Travis Alexander (2013), where Jodi Arias was found guilty of first-degree murder[ 100] [ 101] [ 102] [ 103] [ 104] [ 105] TheKilling of Cecil the lion (2015)[ 106] Themurder of George Floyd and theprotests that followed (2020)[ 107] TheKilling of Gabby Petito (2021)[ 108] TheCasey White prison escape (2022) Will Smith slapping Chris Rock (2022)[ 109] [ 110] TheJohnny Depp v Amber Heard trial (2022)[ 111] The2022 University of Idaho killings (2022)[ 112] The various scandals surroundingGeorge Santos (2022–2023)[ 113] [ 114] Thetrial of Alex Murdaugh (2023)[ 115] TheKilling of Brian Thompson and arrest of suspectLuigi Nicholas Mangione (2024)[ 116] ^ "Gilmore case turning into a circus for media".Milwaukee Journal . December 3, 1976.The worldwide attention that condemned killer Gary Gilmore is receiving has turned his case into a media circus Utah residents are saying ^ Miller, Gene (December 8, 1976). "Only in America - the Gary Gilmore Circus has everything but dancing bears".The Evening Independent .There is most appallingly, an only-in-America spectacle wherein a quest for justice becomes an extravaganza for the fast buck. Come, come, come to the circus. ^ Lynn Haney (1976).Chris Evert, the Young Champion ^ Washington Post Oxford English Dictionary ^ Brucker, R. and Murray, R.Trapped! the Story of Floyd Collins , University Press of Kentucky, 1983. ^ "The Twisted True-Crime Life of Joran van der Sloot" . The Daily Beast. May 14, 2023.^ "Vindication at Last for a Woman Scorned by Australia's News Outlets" .The New York Times ^ "Media circus comes digging for gold" .Sydney Morning Herald the original on July 20, 2006. RetrievedMay 8, 2006 .^ "An Indian Boy and a Media Circus" . July 8, 2012. Archived fromthe original on July 8, 2012.^ "Schapelle Corby: Drug claims, media circus and the family saga that gripped a nation" .ABC News . February 7, 2014. RetrievedDecember 10, 2015 .^ Geraldine Nordfeldt."Australia's Schapelle Corby phenomenon" . RetrievedDecember 10, 2015 . ^ "Brazil: Making a child murder into a media show · Global Voices" .Global Voices . April 24, 2008. RetrievedDecember 10, 2015 .^ Langton, James (March 11, 2007)."Circus comes to town for Conrad Black's trial" .Daily Telegraph .ISSN 0307-1235 . RetrievedJune 28, 2019 . ^ "Rob Ford's crack admission creates media frenzy" . CBC. November 5, 2013. RetrievedNovember 14, 2013 .^ " . CBC. May 31, 2013. RetrievedNovember 14, 2013 .^ "City hall tours relocated amid Ford media circus" . CP24. November 14, 2013. RetrievedNovember 14, 2013 .^ WIRED Staff (April 1, 1994)."Paul and Karla Hit the Net" .Wired .ISSN 1059-1028 . RetrievedJune 28, 2019 . ^ "Omar Khadr: The case, the compensation and the media" .www.aljazeera.com . RetrievedFebruary 19, 2019 .^ Jeffords, Shawn (September 28, 2015)."Death of three siblings in crash 'worst nightmare': Mom" .Ottawa Sun . RetrievedJuly 28, 2023 . ^ Goodfield, Kayla (February 9, 2021)."Convicted drunk driver Marco Muzzo granted full parole" .CP24 . RetrievedJuly 28, 2023 . ^ "Edward Lake, father of 3 children killed by drunk driver Marco Muzzo in 2015, dies" .CBC News . June 21, 2022. RetrievedJuly 28, 2022 .^ "City Honours Neville-Lake Fatal Collision With Quiet Area At Brampton Park" . insauga.com. July 25, 2019. RetrievedJuly 28, 2023 .^ The Christian Science Monitor (October 15, 2010)."As media circus wanes, Chile miners' families turn spotlight on reporters' antics" .The Christian Science Monitor . RetrievedDecember 10, 2015 . ^ "BBC News - World News America - The media circus around Chile's trapped miners" . October 11, 2010. RetrievedDecember 10, 2015 .^ Lacey Rose."The 'Get' Game Gets Going at Chile Miner Media Circus" .Forbes . RetrievedDecember 10, 2015 . ^ "El caso Colmenares y la fascinación de los medios y del público. ¿Qué tiene de especial? ¿Por qué el circo a su alrededor?" .Caracol Radio ^ "Sheena Bora murder: Cast and plot of a real-life soap opera" .The Hindu ^ Squires, Nick (September 23, 2011)."Amanda Knox compared to Goebbels by prosecutors" .Telegraph (UK) .Perugia . RetrievedSeptember 27, 2011 . ^ Lim, Joyce (March 13, 2014)."Missing MH370: Day 6 and media circus in Malaysia shows few signs of relenting" .The Straits Times the original on March 13, 2014. RetrievedApril 17, 2014 . ^ Italia, Rakshande (March 28, 2014)."Desi Dialogues: Media's coverage of missing Malaysia Airlines flight appalling" .Inside Toronto . RetrievedApril 17, 2014 . ^ "Peru police confirm Van der Sloot's murder confession" .Radio Netherlands Worldwide . June 9, 2010. Archived fromthe original on June 11, 2010. RetrievedJune 10, 2010 .^ Royeca, Jon (October 27, 2019)."A Sensational Murder In The Philippines in 1890" .Manila Bulletin . RetrievedAugust 29, 2023 . ^a b c d Cabahug, Eric (October 11, 2020)."Pinoy murders: The worst true crimes in the Philippines" .The Philippine Star . RetrievedAugust 29, 2023 . ^a b de Guzman, Nicai (February 12, 2020)."The Most Shocking and High-Profile Unsolved Crimes in the Philippines" .Esquire Philippines . RetrievedAugust 29, 2023 . ^ Dagle, Robbin (October 23, 2020)."Pinoy true crime stories that need the docu-series treatment" .CNN Philippines the original on August 29, 2023. RetrievedAugust 29, 2023 . ^ Delizo, Michael Joe T. (February 13, 2016)."VACC founder Vizconde dies" .Manilla Times . RetrievedFebruary 14, 2016 . ^ "Rage, Riots, and Death: Looking Back at the Pepsi 349 Debacle" .Esquire Magazine PH . January 17, 2022. RetrievedAugust 12, 2022 .^ " .ABS-CBN News . RetrievedOctober 13, 2022 .^ Narag, Raymund (August 25, 2019)."Commentary: Media sensationalism, bureaucratic ineptitude, and the quest for justice for the common tao" .Vera Files . RetrievedAugust 29, 2023 . ^ "Impending release of convicted rapist-murderer Sanchez sparks outrage" .ABS-CBN News . RetrievedAugust 11, 2022 .^ "Lolit Solis on 1994 Manila Film Fest scam: 'It was a nightmare for me' .Philippine Daily Inquirer . November 20, 2018. RetrievedAugust 11, 2022 .^ "No more media circus this time" The Manila Times . RetrievedAugust 28, 2023 .^ Gabinete, Jojo (July 20, 2018)."Forensic expert, binalikan ang mga pangyayari sa Chiong rape-murder case noong 1997" .Philippine Entertainment Portal . RetrievedAugust 29, 2023 . ^ "Case Study: The Media and the Trial of Paco Larrañaga (Handout for the documentary "Give Up Tomorrow")" (PDF) .PBS . RetrievedAugust 29, 2023 .^ "Vhong Navarro recovering from brutal attack" .Rappler . January 25, 2014. RetrievedAugust 11, 2022 .^ "STIRI - Fenomenul "Elodia", dupa doi ani" . December 4, 2013. Archived fromthe original on December 4, 2013.^ MEDIA SUSTAINABILITY INDEX 2009 , p. 89^ "Raport de monitorizare" [Monitoring Report](PDF) .cna.ro (in Romanian). 2008.Archived (PDF) from the original on December 16, 2023. RetrievedNovember 17, 2024 .^ "Fenomenul "Elodia", după doi ani" .adevarul.ro . August 19, 2009. RetrievedDecember 10, 2015 .^a b Taylor, Adam (March 1, 2014)."The Oscar Pistorius trial: Africa's O.J. Simpson?" .Washington Post . RetrievedApril 18, 2014 . ^a b Hiscock, John (April 12, 2014)."Oscar Pistorius and the echoes of OJ Simpson" .The Telegraph . London. RetrievedApril 18, 2014 . ^ Maslow, Nick (December 21, 2017)."Jonghyun's coffin carried by pop stars at funeral" .Entertainment Weekly . ^ " [The 'Alcàsser Case' and the criticism of the television circus based on viewer morbid fascination].Formula TV (in Spanish). June 14, 2019.^ "El 'Caso Alcàsser': Había una vez un circo" [The 'Alcàsser Case': Once Upon a Circus].Valencia Plaza (in Spanish). November 13, 2017.^ Antolín, Matías (September 18, 2008)."El linchamiento de Dolores" [The lynching of Dolores].Diario de Burgos (in Spanish). Burgos, Spain. RetrievedSeptember 20, 2017 . ^ Rodríguez, Mercedes (June 17, 2008)." ['The Wanninkhof Case', history of a lynching].El Diario Montañés (in Spanish). Santander, Spain. RetrievedSeptember 20, 2017 . ^ "El 'caso Marta del Castillo': ¿sólo información, morbo o "circo mediático"?" [The 'Marta del Castillo case': just information, morbid fascination or "media circus"?].20 Minutos (in Spanish). February 17, 2009.^ Guillamón, Vicente Alejandro (July 8, 2013)."Caso Bretón: ¿juicio o circo mediático?" [Bretón case: Trial or media circus?].Religión en Libertad . ^ "Caso Asunta: cuando el suceso se transforma en circo mediatico" [Asunta Case: when the event becomes a media circus].Vozpopuli (in Spanish). October 11, 2019.^ "El circo de los Quer y los medios sin escrúpulos" [The Quer circus and the unscrupulous media].ABC Galicia (in Spanish). August 16, 2023.^ "Un nuevo y triste circo mediático en Almería" [A new and sad media circus in Almería].Málaga Hoy (in Spanish). March 14, 2018.^ Wongcha-um, Panu (July 6, 2018)."Throng of volunteers gather to rescue Thai boys trapped in cave" .Reuters . Archived fromthe original on July 7, 2018. ^ "Media circus follows Melnychenko to Warsaw" .Kyiv Post . October 28, 2004. RetrievedJuly 21, 2014 .^ Sedova, Yana (December 11, 2005)."Melnychenko returns to Ukraine, testifies in secret to prosecutor" .Kyiv Press Bureau . Vol. LXXIII, no. 50. Archived fromthe original on July 26, 2014. RetrievedJuly 21, 2014 . ^ "Brightside Mentoring" .www.brightknowledge.org .^ "Master of media circus for Madeleine McCann" .The Telegraph . April 24, 2008. RetrievedApril 25, 2014 .^ Knapton, Sarah (March 22, 2009)."Jade Goody dies after cancer battle bringing media circus to end" .The Daily Telegraph . London. Archived fromthe original on March 25, 2009. RetrievedMay 12, 2010 . ^ Rodriguez, Linda (July 22, 2011)."No one outside of the media-political circus cares about the phone hacking scandal" . RetrievedAugust 17, 2011 . ^ "Why did Charlie Gard's court case become a media circus?" Independent.co.uk Archived from the original on May 12, 2022.^ Sykes, Tom (February 11, 2021)."Meghan Markle Told Her Dad It Was 'Devastating' to Face 'Media Circus' He Created" .The Daily Beast . RetrievedFebruary 10, 2023 . ^ "Meghan Markle's Mom Doria Ragland Slams Ex Thomas for Getting Involved in Media "Circus" .E! Online . December 8, 2022. RetrievedFebruary 10, 2023 .^ Dooley, Matthew (January 4, 2023)."Meghan and Harry blasted for 'Sussex circus' ahead of Duke media blitz" .Express.co.uk . RetrievedFebruary 10, 2023 . ^ "Kate Middleton Reveals She's Undergoing Chemotherapy" .W Magazine . March 22, 2024. RetrievedMay 17, 2024 .^ McConnell, Virginia A.Fatal Fortune: the Death of Chicago's Millionaire Orphan , p. 62Fatal Fortune: the Death of Chicago's Millionaire Orphan (books.google), Greenwood Publishing Group, 2005,ISBN 0-275-98473-7 . p. 62 ^ Notorious Murders Archived March 8, 2014, at theWayback Machine ; CrimeLibrary.com; accessed August 2015^ Bergreen, Laurence (1996).Capone: The Man and the Era . Simon and Schuster. pp. 365– 366.ISBN 978-0684824475 ^ "FindLaw's United States Supreme Court case and opinions" .Findlaw . RetrievedNovember 30, 2019 .^ "Youths Ordered to Clean Up Rubbish Mess" .Berkshire Eagle . Pittsfield, Massachusetts. November 29, 1965. p. 25 – via Newspapers.com.He (Obanhein) said he hoped their case would be an example to others who are careless about disposal of rubbish. ^ Goldman, Kim; Robertson, Tatsha (September 22, 2015).Media Circus: A Look at Private Tragedy in the Public Eye . BenBella Books.ISBN 9781941631607 ^ Gelman, David; Greenberg, Peter S. (January 31, 1977). "Ringmaster at the circus".Newsweek . Vol. 89, no. 5. p. 77.ProQuest 214345558 . ^ "How the rescue of Baby Jessica ushered in the era of rolling news" .The National . October 14, 2017.^ (Elizabeth Davis,The Daily Beacon , January 12, 1996).[1] ^ "Lewinsky Media Circus Now Commonplace" .The Daily Beast . May 9, 2014. RetrievedOctober 30, 2022 .^ "Exclusive: Monica Lewinsky on the Culture of Humiliation" .Vanity Fair . May 28, 2014. RetrievedOctober 30, 2022 .^ Betancourt, Bianca (August 25, 2021)."See the Cast of 'Impeachment: American Crime Story' vs. Their Real-Life Counterparts" .Harper's BAZAAR . RetrievedOctober 30, 2022 . ^ "Elian moves home to avoid media circus" .The Guardian . RetrievedApril 17, 2014 .^ Legon, Jeordan (March 14, 2003)."Survey: 'Shark summer' bred fear, not facts" .CNN . RetrievedJune 16, 2010 . ^ Roeper, Richard (July 25, 2002). "Media always produce a summer feeding frenzy".Chicago Sun-Times . p. 11.^ Miller, Suzanne (July 24, 2003)."Summer of the shark?" .Spiker . Archived fromthe original on December 15, 2009. RetrievedJune 16, 2010 . ^ "TV docuseries seems to suggest Scott Peterson didn't kill pregnant wife Laci" .AP News . August 14, 2017. RetrievedNovember 30, 2019 .^ Newsweek ,"Archived copy" . Archived fromthe original on December 22, 2005. RetrievedJanuary 1, 2006 .{{cite web }}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link )^ Kurtz, Howard (May 8, 2005)."It's to Laugh (or Cry) About: Tragedy or Farce?" .Washington Post .Archived from the original on August 18, 2017. RetrievedSeptember 11, 2017 . ^ "Lifetime's 'Untouchable' throws the book at Drew Peterson" .Chicago Tribune . January 16, 2012.^ Hinckley, David (January 23, 2010)."Lifetime's 'Pregnancy Pact' treats surge in teen pregnancy with kid gloves" .New York Daily News . Archived fromthe original on January 26, 2010. RetrievedSeptember 29, 2020 . ^ "Casey Anthony trial turned into media frenzy - Yahoo! News" . Archived fromthe original on September 2, 2011. RetrievedJanuary 14, 2017 .^ "Casey Anthony Trial Media Frenzy Explained" .digtriad.com . Archived fromthe original on October 19, 2013. RetrievedDecember 10, 2015 .^ "Casey Anthony trial turned into media frenzy" .Reuters . July 6, 2011.^ "Casey Anthony trial: Media frenzy at new heights" .CBS News .^ "Trayvon Martin shooting: Debate over photos escalates ". Yahoo! News. ^ "Jodi Arias Trial: An Over-The-Top Media-Spectacle" .Huffington Post . May 22, 2013.^ "Jodi Arias Trial: Jurors weigh murder charge amid "real-life soap opera" spectacle" .CBS News . May 6, 2013.^ "Jodi Arias trial attracts watchers from across the nation" .Foz News . February 5, 2013. Archived fromthe original on April 30, 2013.^ "In Arias trial, TV cameras never far behind" .Yahoo! News . May 22, 2013.^ "Is the Jodi Arias Trial the Craziest in America?" .Inside Edition . April 11, 2013.^ Ruelas, Richard (May 12, 2013)."Amid many trials, a frenzy over Jodi Arias" .USA Today . ^ Dzirutwe, MacDonald (July 30, 2015)." .Reuters . RetrievedNovember 4, 2022 . ^ Heaney, Michael T."Analysis | The George Floyd protests generated more media coverage than any protest in 50 years" .Washington Post .ISSN 0190-8286 . RetrievedSeptember 2, 2020 . ^ "Wyoming coroner says Gabby Petito's case became a 'media circus' and said others 'involved in domestic violence' should get the same attention" .Insider.com ^ Média, Bell."Will Smith smacks Chris Rock on stage, then wins best actor Oscar" .www.iheartradio.ca . RetrievedApril 3, 2022 . ^ "The Oscars are more about celebrity than cinema - and that's fine" .inews.co.uk . March 28, 2022. RetrievedApril 3, 2022 .^ Benchetrit, Jenna (April 24, 2022)."Johnny Depp, Amber Heard libel trial is nothing short of a media circus" .CBC News . RetrievedMay 3, 2022 . ^ "Police: 2 other roommates were home during fatal stabbing of 4 U of Idaho students" .TODAY . November 17, 2022.Archived from the original on November 23, 2022. RetrievedNovember 23, 2022 .^ "Stakeouts, a Missing Scarf, and a Dying Dog: Inside the George Santos Media Circus" .Vanity Fair . January 19, 2023. RetrievedFebruary 7, 2023 .^ Tully-Mcmanus, Katherine (January 18, 2023)."Won't you be my neighbor, George Santos?" .POLITICO . RetrievedFebruary 7, 2023 . ^ Oritz, Erik (January 22, 2023)."Lights, camera, trial: All eyes on Alex Murdaugh as a small South Carolina city prepares for a 'circus' .NBC News . RetrievedJanuary 23, 2023 . ^ "Blair County DA: Apprehension of suspect in shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO brings unprecedented attention" .Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . RetrievedDecember 12, 2024 .
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