Mystery, conflict in Warwick Township case 'fuels the fire' of the media.
By Jane Holahan
Updated Feb 20, 2007 12:12
So did the producers for Nancy Grace and Rita Cosby.
CNN, MSNBC and Fox want to know the latest.
The morning network shows, including “The Today Show,” “Good Morning America” and “The Early Show” are sniffing around too.
And the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News and People Magazine all want to know more as well.
The tragedy that unfolded in Warwick Township this weekend has quickly turned into a media feeding frenzy.
Warwick Township Chief Richard F. Garipoli has been fielding calls all day today from media outlets big and small. He is so busy, he’s had to limit the interviews to 15 minutes each.
The small town of Lititz has become media central for a huge array of reporters, who are quick to point out just how idyllic the place is.
Has the Kara Borden-David Ludwig story turned into a classic cable news drama, along the lines of Laci Peterson and Natalee Holloway?
Could be, according to Stephen Medvic, an assistant professor of government at Franklin & Marshall College, who is teaching a course on media in which he looks at why some stories turn into feeding frenzies.
“If this had just been some random break-in and abduction, it wouldn’t have gotten nearly as much coverage,” says Medvic. “But once the story developed and it turned out to be a boyfriend and girlfriend and there was a dispute with the parents, it took on a whole new perspective.”
Medvic says the key to the story is Kara Borden’s role in the drama.
“There is a lot of curiosity about her role; there is a high level of drama, and drama is always important to these big cable stories,” he says. “Anytime there is a mystery to the story, it really fuels the fire.”
The competitive nature of cable news, which has to keep stories churning 24 hours a day, seven days a week, also requires the media to keep asking questions.
“If you see that your competition has interviewed the police chief, then you have to interview him too,” says Medvic.
And it doesn’t hurt that Borden is a beautiful young girl.
“I have not seen any systematic study, but anecdotally, there is a bias toward stories about young, pretty, probably blond girls,” Medvic says. “And there is probably a class element too. Once they see it’s a middle-class family, it takes on more importance. If it had been a family from a lower economic status or a minority, I’m not so sure it would have gotten the kind of coverage it’s getting.”
Should it turn out that Borden had something to do with the death of her parents, Medvic says, the story could be front and center for a long time to come.
“This boy (Ludwig) is 18, so he’ll be tried as an adult. There will be a court case. The story won’t go away, at least locally. It will probably get a lot of national attention, especially if it turns out to be twisted and bizarre.”
Cable does these kind of stories, Medvic says, because the public is interested in them.
“Look at ‘Law and Order’ and ‘CSI.’ People are fascinated with crime, especially when something happens in what is otherwise a normal American town.”
