The Amanda Knox case, and the usual media nonsense

First comment on the Amanda Knox case. My heart goes out to the family and friends of the victim, Meredith Kercher, who died a gruesome and unnecessary death.

On the verdict yesterday my views are as follows:

1. The Italian Appeal Court got it right. There was insufficient evidence to produce a guilty verdict, and in the light of that fact alone, the initial verdict was a mistake.
2. I happen to believe, based upon what I have read of the case, that neither Knox nor her boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, were involved in Meredith Kercher's sad death. Motive, among other things, seems to be totally lacking in this regard.

The problem with this case is the way that the tabloid media have once more got into an "us against them" mentality. Kercher was "good" therefore Knox was obviously "bad". Kercher was a nice girl who was brutally murdered, therefore Knox was fundamentally evil and unquestionably guilty.

Fine? Or rather not fine! This is nonsensical logic, an adversarial situation that makes no sense, and does not apply in any rational analysis of the case.

This taking sides has badly affected coverage of the case. People step back from the facts and trade insults, and based upon what? It makes no sense. And does not reflect the situation that existed before the case arose.

Maybe it is just me, but I had the sense also that Knox was being presumed guilty because she was American. It is, unusually for the British tabloid press who nearly always automatically assume that the Americans can do no wrong (see the Iraq War), strange to find this predominant anti-American tone. In fact I cannot remember the like since the Louise Woodward case back in 1998.

But when one of "theirs" does something unpleasant to one of "ours" (allegedly!), out come the proverbial knives ....

Continental Europeans get this all the time from the nauseous British tabloids, so I imagine that the Americans have to expect it some time.

But unfortunately it does not help us reach objective judgements in cases like this.

Meredith Kercher's death, I repeat, is a cause for immense sadness. Amanda Knox being locked up for four years for a murder that she very probably did not commit, though, was not the response that this dreadful business required. Approached rationally, we should look at the problem objectively, find the real culprit (probably Rudy Gueye, who is already serving 16 years for the offence) and unleash any proverbial venom upon him.

Meanwhile hopefully Amanda Knox can go back to Seattle and disappear into oblivion - if the often nauseous American media will let her ....