If someone is accused guilty of a crime its front page news, when they're found innocent it rarely is, WHY?

[Wee Kaz]

Why is it that when someone is accussed of something e.g. murder, rape etc they are splashed all over the front pages of the newspapers but when they have been tried and it has been proven that they are innocent a 5 liner appears half way through the paper stating their innocence? Why would this not be front page news declaring their innocence?

[andy hughes]

Because the media reflects its readership - it's a sad fact of life that guilt is always more 'newsworthy' than innocence, although to be fair, the teacher accused of head-butting a pupil has been cleared, with no little fanfare from the press. Our society is notoriously censorious - we do respond to having our knee-jerk reactions stimulated. Ian Brady is allowed to visit his dying mother - there will be outrage, missing the point that the visit is to comfort her, not him, but watch the media spin on that one.

[sft42]

because we all like gossip even if we say we don't. If someone came forward tomorrow and admitted killing the guy (stuart lubbock?) in barrymore's pool the interest in this story would die, everyone likes to be nosy and speculate on what goes on innocence isn't sexy and this comes from someone wrongly fired from a job which ruined my reputation in my locality.