'Naive Kid' or 'Viruoso of Deceit'?: Tabloid media parochialism and the trials of Amanda Knox

The trial of American college student Amanda Knox for the murder of her British housemate Meredith Kercher divided the international tabloid media, with the portrayal of the accused running the spectrum from wide-eyed ingénue to sex-crazed murderer. The inconsistent editorial approach towards the Knox trial could be seen as an expression of tabloid parochialism, with the public effectively forcing the national media of their homeland to ‘choose sides’ between victim and accused killer. This prompted the American media to portray Amanda Knox as unfairly maligned and persecuted, whilst their counterparts in the British press seized on the scandalous aspects of the case to depict her as the femme fatale killer of one of its own citizens. An analytical evaluation of the ethnocentrism that contributed to the dual narratives surrounding Amanda Knox can illuminate the parochial nature of tabloid journalism and the influence it has on a subjective editorial agenda.

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