Laramie Project

            The Laramie case has been very eye opening to a lot of people. Not just in the small town of Laramie Wyoming, but now it has touched people all over the world, and even in our mass media class.  I will be reflecting on two questions, ‘what good has come from the sensationalism surrounding the trial?’ and ‘theater is not a form of mass media, so you think it was worth reading in class?’ I have also seen the movie on this topic  and I think it does a great job of portraying the story, but lacks the personal experience of reading the words of someone involved.

            Although reading a play is not necessarily a form of media, the story on Mathew Sheppard is a media topic of its own. By reading the play, the class was able to ‘be’ the characters and really understand how difficult it was to be put on the spot and say things as they did. For example, when Aaron McKinney is on trial apologizing to Mathew’s parents. How we read the story helped the class get a better understanding of how, and why this has gotten so much media coverage. I think if we were able to redo this chapter, we should have also watched the movie, I watched it in another class and it brings the story to life a little bit more- as opposed to just reading and trying to figure out who is who. I also think the movie highlights the sensationalism a lot better than the play; it also gives an easier timeline to understand what happened.

The fact that this story made national news headlines doesn’t surprise me, out of the sensationalism came a lot of good and has enlightened many people on the rights of all people, no matter if they are lesbian or gay. In further depth, it has formed many campaigns against violence and hate crimes, one being the Mathew Sheppard Foundation.

            Theatre is not a form of mass media, yet the Laramie Project itself is one of the most media surrounded stories of the decade. Over-all I think watching the movie would have helped other students see the brutality and understand the sensationalism a little more. Although, I do not regret reading the play because it was good to be in the characters position as well.