16 Nov Tabloid Crime Goes Transnational
16.11.07
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Three recent examples:
° A Seattle girl allegedly knocks off her roommate in Perugia (lurid sex involved).
° A school shooter in Finland got some pointers from someone similarly inclined in Pennsylvania (you’re only a chat room away).
° A glamourous British couple’s daughter goes missing in Portugal (foul play suspected).
Not sure what to make of this, other than as another incident of globalization. (Those of you with cable: what are the TV shows doing with these cases?) For lawyers, I guess the simple message is, knowledge of international criminal law (of the street sort) will be increasingly handy.
I don’t know how any so-called “scholar” in international criminal law isn’t keeping up to date with the latest psychic prediction about Madeleine McCann being broadcast on our fine cable news outlets.
I think CNN International had something on her story every day in August, when the Portugese authorities turned their attention to the parents.
Sarcasm over the media coverage aside, it is interesting to see differences in cultural norms. When Madeleine’s parents became suspects in the investigation that immediately provoked tensions over how Portugal was conducting its investigation and whether it comported with U.K. or U.S. standards. In another example, the media in the U.S. focused on the differences in child rearing due to the fact that Madeleine’s parents left her alone in the hotel as they went out to dinner.
These international crime stories are loaded with cultural conflict beyond the tabloid headlines.