How does the Amanda Knox documentary highlight the way in which the media

manipulates legal cases?

Directors Rod Blackhurst and Brian McGinn expose the invasive nature of the media and its
ability to manipulate perceptions of innocence and guilt in the Netflix documentary, Amanda
Knox. The documentary influences viewers' confidence in Amanda’s innocence by carefully
crafting her identity in conjunction with showcasing the media as the antagonist. Through film
techniques such as juxtaposition and sound effects, the documentary makers expose the
disparity between the intentions of detectives and journalists as opposed to the intentions of the
justice system. The Amanda Knox documentary highlights the way in which the media prioritises
the entertainment that their coverage provides rather than the authenticity of the information
delivered.

Amanda’s characteristics are juxtaposed in the contemporary footage and the archival footage
alluding to how the media has crafted her character. Through counterarguments against the
media’s accusations towards Amanda, viewers are invited to create personal opinions of the
media and accept Amanda’s innocence. Therefore, we must recognise that the creators of the
documentary are ironically attempting to manipulate our perceptions of Amanda while exposing
the media of the same wrongdoing. To challenge the pre-existing view of Amanda, the directors
have molded her appearance to fit the stereotype of normality. In the contemporary interview
scenes, Amanda is dressed conservatively with little makeup and short hair, deliberately
influencing viewers to see her as an everyday person, dissuading us from believing that she is
possibly a murderer. This shapes viewers’ perceptions of her as an innocent girl who has been
falsely accused, therefore, we sympathise with her. Furthermore, switching from contemporary
interview footage and archival footage of the experience encourages viewers to question the
purity of Amanda’s behaviour. Amanda’s “normal” behaviour in the documentary directly
contrasts with the “quirky” and “extroverted” characteristics that she showcases in the archival
footage. This poses the argument of whether this traumatising experience has embedded
vulnerability and sensitivity within her personality, or whether she is creating a façade to
manipulate viewers into believing her innocence. We are invited from the outset to be put in
Amanda’s shoes and realise that anyone can be swept up into a situation that is out of their
control. Specifically, the striking mid-shot of Amanda in the foreground examining a rack of
magazines flooded with gruesome opinions and accusations provides a personal perspective of
her situation. This scene emphasises the extent to which the media inscribed Amanda's identity,
heightening viewers pity for her. Through this contrast of archival footage and contemporary
footage, viewers can grasp an opinion of Amanda shaping our trust in her claims for the
remainder of the documentary.

The media automatically defined Amanda as a “maniac” with “sexual intrigue” because it
disobeys female stereotypes, therefore, creating a newsworthy statement. Stereotypically, a
woman should be elegant and obedient, when they divert from this stereotype they’re
automatically perceived as transgressive. The media highlighted this by clinging onto trivial
clues that demonise Amanda as a “whore” and a “heartless manipulator”. This becomes
conspicuous through the speculation of the image found on ‘Myspace’ of Knox holding a
machine gun, laughing hysterically as she is firing it. This image was immediately criticized
purely because her actions defied the gentility and innocence that women are expected to
conform to. Likewise, the media gave meticulous attention to Amanda’s “strange” response to
Meredith’s death. Pisa accuses Amanda of transgressing sensitive expectations of grief by
behaving inappropriately with Rafael when at the murder scene and performing cartwheels in
the waiting room of the police station. Pisa uses these examples as evidence to prove that
Amanda is a “complete and utter loon”. Effectively, these examples are immediately juxtaposed
with images of the prison that Amanda was held in, highlighting the absurdity that defying
society’s expectations is seen as criminal. Moreover, the exposition of the documentary
emphasises how the media exposed Amanda as the epitome of fear. The confronting scene
presents eerie black and white images of Amanda and ghostly scenery. The documentary
creators supported this theme by editing the images to peel away from each other with the
accompaniment of mystifying music and conflicting interview commentary. This montage is then
directly contrasted with contemporary footage of Amanda driving home from the supermarket
with groceries and cooking a family meal. This juxtaposition of scenes effectively defies the
media’s accusations of Amanda and influences viewers to be apprehensive before confiding in
the media’s claims throughout the rest of the documentary.

The media manipulates the legal system by placing undue pressure and attention on detectives
who are keen to become celebrities rather than careful, methodical investigators. Giuliano
Mignini exposes his intentions in the documentary by revealing personal information of his
interests and beliefs. Through his worship of Sherlock Holmes, we can suspect that the
professionalism required for this investigation is overcast by his desire to gain a reputation of
praise through discovering the most preposterous outcome of the Amanda Knox case. Mignini
fixation on the trivial details is exposed through the documentary’s description of a “botched
investigation” with “bungled forensic work.” This statement is evident as Meredith’s DNA on the
supposed murder weapons blade was found to be a likely result of contamination. Moreover,
Mignini’s motive to craft such a captivating case rather than discovering the facts is showcased
during his interrogation of Rafael. Mignini manipulates Rafael by drilling the idea into his brain
that Amanda was a “stupid slut” and “a cow” who was using him and had no care for him.
Mignini used this technique to enrage Rafael and receive the evidence that he needed to
support his case against Amanda. Finally, a reason behind Mignini’s firm belief in Amanda’s
guilt correlates to his strong abidance to the Catholic faith, indicating that he adheres to the
binary of good vs evil. Due to Amanda’s “inappropriate behaviour” and “weird response” to
Meredith’s death, Mignini was not convinced that she was good. Therefore, he automatically
categorised her as evil which provided a bias to the outcome of the case as Mignini crafted this
investigation with a pre-existing belief that Amanda was guilty. Mignini’s willingness to disregard
flaws in scientific evidence and overlook obvious conclusions reveals his sole ambition to cover
a case striking global news.
Similarly, journalists allow themselves to be unduly influenced by the media frenzy and its
competitive nature. This is evident through the montage of sensationalist headlines such as
“Foxy Knoxy'' and “Orgy of Death”. The documentary creators emphasise the hysteria that these
headlines created through a toppling effect and the accompaniment of thrilling cello
instrumentals that evoke anticipation. It is evident that Pisa allowed this hysteria to fuel his work
as he reveals that he values crime, sex and death in a story, as if he is selling the murder of
Meredith as a ‘whodunit’. Paparazzi describe Amanda as “hot property”, reducing her to a
market product which is an effective metaphor to support how journalists are selling her case in
a stimulating manner. Pisa is enthused over the sexual intrigue that a ‘girl on girl crime’ entails
as he compares the feeling of releasing salacious articles that support this theory to “having
sex.” This comparison exposes Pisa’s callousness as he demonstrates a voyeuristic pleasure of
covering a crime that involves the transgression of society's stereotypes of women. Pisa’s
thrilling description of the case is effectively juxtaposed with the miserable scene of Meredith’s
funeral. This contrast of excitement and grief reveals the immorality behind journalists’
intentions when covering a case which is further established through Pisa’s hypocritical actions.
Pisa’s refusal to uncover the source to his possession of Amanda’s diary is sanctimonious as he
is very willing to release private information of a young woman in jail. Pisa clearly demonstrates
journalists’ intentions and their tendency to become swept up in the intoxicating nature of the
media for entertainment purposes, rather than to appeal to the authority that facts provide.

The Amanda Knox documentary showcases the way in which the media manipulates legal
cases through editing techniques including juxtaposition, sound effects and montage. This is
evident through the disparity between archival footage and contemporary footage, the fixation
on trivial details of Amanda’s character and the influence of the media frenzy regarding the
accuracy and relevancy of evidence provided. These factors are emphasised in the
documentary to inform viewers of how the legal system is often influenced by façades that are
created to manipulate the outcome of a case and form successful reputations for journalists and
detectives. The documentary relativises our perceptions of the media’s intentions, encouraging
us to believe in Amanda’s innocence.