Analysis 3
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-american-sniper-trial-20150204-story.html
In her Los Angeles Times article titled “’American Sniper’ fame could complicate Chris Kyle murder trial,” Molly Hennessy-Fiske reports on the possibility of recent movie-adaptation success of Chris Kyle’s book American Sniper affecting the trial of his murderer Eddie Ray Routh. Throughout the article, the author does not explicitly argue how the film will or will not impact the murder trial, but only that it might, as the title suggests. Hennessy-Fiske’s position does not really help paint a less black and white representation of how the movie has affected its audiences and maybe she did not because it was not her intention as she was merely “reporting.” In any case, her report on the “fame,” “publicity surrounding Kyle,” and “emotions” resulting from the “sensational” film, “an Oscar-nominated movie,” actually implies that “American Sniper” will have some sort of effect on the trial. It is uncertain what the film’s effect on Routh’s trial will be, but there certainly will be some impact. This certainty, in comparison to the author’s lack thereof, comes from the “voir dire” process that the author herself takes note of. Hennessy-Fiske uses law professor Geoffrey Corn’s knowledge of how the process works to pick jurors who “can set aside preconceived notions and judge the case based on the facts and the law” to show that Routh can still get a “fair trial.” However, the author does not consider that even jurors who have seen “American Sniper” or read Kyle’s book are not necessarily disqualified as “potential jurors.” It is not to say that the jurors who will be narrowed out will already have formed personal or political stances on the issue and make the trial difficult, but that the movie will have an impact on those who have already seen it and have some say in Routh’s fate.