In Joan Didion’s essay, she speaks about the case of a jogger who was raped and brutally beaten in Central Park in 1989. A group of black and latino teenagers were convicted for the crime, even though there was never enough evidence to prove it. Because of this, Didion explores the problem with the media often incriminating minorities while talking about whites as, in a way, superior to them. And why society has come to accept this belief without much hesitation and questioning. She also explores the other issues that go on in New York that usually go unnoticed, such as corruption. She exposes New York for its flaws. Didion’s main concern in my eyes are the racial inequality that is presented in the media, specifically when it comes to crimes against whites, and the underlying issues that happen in New York. She provided many examples of headlines that were in the newspaper after the incident with the jogger. After lookin at these headlines, they clearly portrayed the accused teenagers as violent, thugs, and wild, while they portrayed the victim as an inspiration and referred to her very highly. She also discusses other crimes that are closely similar to this one that did not receive much media attention.
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