Now playing on Netflix is “The Witness”. It’s a compelling account of a brother’s attempt to understand and explain his sister’s murder and its treatment by the media at the time and in the years since. The story is one of an assumption about the condition of our society being imposed on an actual event, with the attendant distortion and invention of facts. It becomes an urban myth, and doesn’t do justice for the victim, the victim’s family, and our society.
The 60s were rife with all manner of social critique. Leaving any judgment of the criticisms aside, sometimes incidents were shaped to fit these commentaries. Thus, events became fictionalized to some extent.
Having experienced the 60s up close and personal, a common complaint at the time, and articulated in a variety of ways, was the alleged dehumanization of our society. The story of the murder of a young woman was crafted to fit this premise. Actually, the real story is quite different.
Questions arise. If the real story diverges from the contrived version, are any pertinent lessons to be gleaned different from the ones assumed? How often does this happen? What does this situation say about the nature of our media? What does it say about the media’s herd instinct to naively follow the lead of a single media outlet, notably the NY Times?
Interesting questions. Watch the film.
RogerG