Tuesday, July 28, 2009

The Best-Informed Global Audience Is Now Becoming Strongly Pro-Meredith

Posted by Peter Quennell

Mainstream media really should take note of this.

The smarter, better-educated, better-informed, more pro-active, more influential, and more successful component of the global audience for any one issue is widely recognized now as shifting over here to the internet.

And the global audience for Meredith’s sad case case is clearly swinging now to being very strongly pro-Meredith - one that is becoming stronger and more passionate day-by-day as the deliberate fog blows away.

Meredith didn’t win her final battle against a depraved pack of knife-wielders in her own home. But she sure is winning the hearts and minds of the world in a big way. 


Chart 1 above shows that TJMK is already in THE TOP 10 PERCENT of all 6-plus million websites in the world - a feat almost unheard of for a non-commercial website that refuses all income, and that is run on a shoestring by its posters as a tribute to Meredith as a much loved, admired and lamented victim of a very cruel crime. 
 

Chart 2 above shows that the Perugia Murder File forum is pretty well neck-and-neck with TJMK - a predecessor version of the PMF began soon after Meredith was so cruelly murdered, and the commenters there have sustained their efforts and their deep respect, longing and sadness for Meredith through some very dark days.


Chart 3 above shows that the relatively new and specialized Miss Represented website is remarkably close in its readership to TJMK and the PMF - the M-R site is run by a professional psychologist who is deeply insightful into violent crimes, including crimes against young women, and who has posted on TJMK about the backlash to the Knox campaign in Italy.   


Chart 4 shows that the Perugia Shock blog is way at the back - it now has only about 1/8 of the attractiveness of TJMK although it is twice as old - and its ugly trademark attitudes of being sarcastic toward the police and prosecution, uncaring toward Meredith, and often seriously vicious toward those who would like to see justice for Meredith, remain real losers.

The several other pro-defendant websites are even further back again and fading.

Rest in peace, Meredith. So very many now wish that they had known you. And our commiserations, as always, to your amazing and so-deprived family.

Comments

Hello Peter Quennell. Why are people becoming ‘pro Meredith’? I very much appreciate your articles. And I also think that Amanda and Raffaele were involved in killing Meredith. But I don’t think your headline is logical. You can be ‘pro Meredith’ and still ‘pro Amanda’, because theoretically (!) Amanda could (!) be innocent (I also do not believe it, but I am just saying theoretically), and still one could be totally pro Meredith.

So I think here you made a logical mistake - in fact a dangerous one, I believe. Because polarization is not part of scientific conduct. And this case is NOT about condemning a person one dislikes in order to find justice for Meredith Kercher. This site is to find out about the truth, and gather evidence.

Posted by Malwida on 07/28/09 at 11:05 PM | #

perhaps the title was misleading.  i think the intent was to show that more and more people are looking at the evidence presented on these particular sites and are more likely to disbelieve amanda as a result.

Posted by gramjan on 07/29/09 at 02:04 AM | #

Dear Malwida, Peter Quennell’s postings are impressive for their temperance and restraint. To pick apart his headline is to indulge in tiresome semantics when it is really quite evident that the words ‘Pro-Meredith’ are meant, I believe, to convey that there has been a shift away from sympathy for the accused. I think we can all appreciate the respectful and tenacious way that he is endeavouring to unravel this murky case and share his insights with all those who read TJMK.

Posted by pensky on 07/29/09 at 02:27 AM | #

Pro-Meredith, to me, means caring about Meredith as much, if not more, than those in the media spotlight, ie, her accused tormentors.

Anti-Meredith, to me, means saying things such as (paraphrased, because i don’t have the quotes to hand):

“It’s too bad her mother (Arline Kercher) will have to find out in this way about her daughter’s sex life”. -Edda Knox Mellas

“In the end, I knew her (Meredith) for about a month, and mostly, I’m trying to get on with my life.” - Amanda Knox

These may seem like neutral statements to the casual onlooker, but to anyone familiar to this case and the context in which these remarks were made, they burn.

If some red herring were to turn up between now and the trial’s resumption, producing a surprise confession , or exonerating Knox and Sollecitto (which might be close to watching pigs fly..) they would still be guilty of inexplicable coldness toward the suffering of the victim and her loved ones and the ridiculous wasting of so many people’s time and money.

Why were they absent from the Perugia Memorial for Meredith? Did they not feel they knew her well enough?

Posted by mimi on 07/29/09 at 03:47 AM | #

I am pro truth. And that is what this site wanted to be, too. I am convinced as many that Amanda and Raffaele were involved in the killings, but as you all I have disliked the biased media reportings - don’t become like them.

In all sadness, which I have shared from the first minute of getting involved with this case many weeks ago, we must not forget that this site and the purpose of the court is to find justice, not to see Amanda suffer or to make people dislike her or to make people like Meredith - that is not the purpose of a trial.

Actually I have despised how this “Do we like the person?” has been so important with this trial. The American media are all over to report how likable Amanda is. I have always thought: Who cares? She could be the nicest girl in the world, but if the evidence proves her guilty, she shall be punished as anyone else!

And the same way I think that even had Meredith been a very dislikeable person to everyone - her murder would deserve the same justice, because everyone has the right to live.

(By the way, I also find it inexcusable that Amanda and Raffaele did not show up at the Perugia Memorial, in fact it’s another sign of their guilt, I feel - but this is as I said a different level than evidence and court procedures).

This case is totally not about how we like Meredith and Amanda, and I have always thought it to be a flaw, that the media have cared so much about this point. And I hope the judges will not be totally biased, neither in this nor that way. Stick to the facts.

Posted by Malwida on 07/29/09 at 11:12 AM | #

Hi Malwida. No change of content or tone envisaged and the facts will be stuck to for sure. As you may know TJMK came alive late last summer because there seemed a deliberate attempt to replace Meredith as the victim. The post was essentially a heads-up for a media (see opening para) which for the most part still treats Meredith as invisible.  We mentioned the nature of some of the emails we receive in this post and they still arrive to this day.

Posted by Peter Quennell on 07/29/09 at 02:35 PM | #

OK, there I get you. And I understand fully your emotion. I just wanted to express my hope for the forum to remain objective and evidence-oriented, something I totally appreciate.
And thanks for your thoughts.
And I am as furious about the way the media report.

Posted by Malwida on 07/29/09 at 03:25 PM | #

This is also what I like about this blog, it is its serene way of exposing the facts.

This serene pace is also a passionate pledge to Meredith: truth will be known.

And its ranks speaks volume. Other people want simply the truth as well.

Therefore, thank you for this honest place to read the facts!

Posted by Patou on 07/29/09 at 03:38 PM | #

the facts….that’s all that remains.

FOA and the rest of the cheeleading squad can yell all they want, but in the end the claims and gnashing will not stand up to scrutiny. that’s the problem for them at the end of the day. the evidence will out. will it be enough to bring a guilty verdict? i believe so. will it weather an appeal….again, affirmative, IMO.  knox and sollecito have some part in this horrendous murder. the exact nature, who did what may remain a mystery, but they’re guilty and the facts speak for themselves.

Posted by mojo on 07/29/09 at 07:30 PM | #

Malwida,

People who want to see justice done for Meredith will necessarily be in support of truth - because without truth, the real murderer(s) will not get what they deserve. So, Pro-Justice-For-Meredith (or simply Pro-Meredith) = Pro-Truth.

Secondly, since the start of this website, it has shown evidence-based analysis, and claims that were accurate. Confirmation of the accuracy of reporting was evidenced further by the fact that they matched what was presented much later in court. Those facts that have convinced readers to make up their own minds have, to some, convinced they that - prima facie - AK & RS are guilty (who was the particular person who threw MK’s phones in the garden, or who exactly mopped the floor out of the three accused is irrelevant; what is relevant is that some are now convinced all 3 were involved in the murder & cover-up).

Thirdly, given that most people have made the prima facie judgement that AK, RG & RS are guilty of the cold-blooded murder, torture, and sexual assault of MK, it makes little sense (actually, no sense at all) to suppose that they could also be supporters of AK. Evidence has been shown time and time again on this site & in court, and if you are convinced that the evidence is correct, then you will believe AK was involved in the murder of Meredith. As such, you cannot possibly be Pro-Meredith, Pro-Justice for her, Pro-Truth, and at the same time Pro-Amanda (because you’d believe that Amanda has murdered & lied). So it isn’t theoretically incorrect or illogical in the least bit to say that - at this stage of the case - those who believe the evidence the prosecution has presented cannot possibly be anything other than Pro-Meredith & certainly it would be a self-contradiction for those people (including myself) to be Pro-Amanda; because that would imply being Pro-Lies, and no one can be Pro-Lies (Pro-Amanda) and Pro-Truth (Pro-Meredith) at one and the same time - THIS is illogical because it is self-contradiction.

The only exceptions to this rule would be those who think Amanda is innocent. There are some still, those who may think MK deserved what AK did (thankfully, I know none who would suggest something so ridiculous), or those who are yet uncertain if AK was involved. For the rest of us, logic dictates that in support of Meredith we ought not to support her supposed murderer AK, RS & RG.

I agree with you that marginalisation is dangerous most of the time. But dualities exist, that’s a matter of fact. There’s truth & then there is lies. It’s not dangerous at all to say that I stand on the side of one & reject the other. This is what this website has continuously done: stand on the side of Truth & Justice for Meredith.

Posted by Scooby on 07/29/09 at 09:33 PM | #

Wow, Scooby! Very well and clearly put.

I find your last comment so satisfying, indeed, that I’m almost content to sit back quietly in the wings and refrain from further mouthing off until the trial reconvenes. Almost. But I will attempt to contain my biases against mean girls,  shaped by too many brushes with the type.

Above all, I want the truth, and for those guilty to face the music, if not the firing squad. We are neither the judges nor the jury, and have no influence upon their decision, but as fellow humans we recognise that the discussion goes well beyond the cold, scientific facts of forensic findings.

The Pro-Amanda-or-Bust media campaign of the FOA was probably the biggest reason this site was called for. It was certainly how I ended up here, in search of a more accurate depiction of the event and the characters involved.

I want people to be accountable for their actions, and not be passed off as “goofy kids”. This is my peer group ( I am 24). I don’t want Amanda Knox to represent young Americans abroad, but she is the one in the public eye.This site has provided anyone who cares to visit with a less stunted view into her nature than the media have allowed.

As for RS? He’s become something of a non-event.

Posted by mimi on 07/30/09 at 01:47 AM | #

Very well said Mimi.  I feel the same way.

Posted by Sierra1049 on 07/30/09 at 02:04 AM | #

I still believe that people who think that they are pro-Meredith commit just the same mistake as their self-chosen opponents, who shout that they are pro-Amanda.
A rational and scientific approach to this case, a look at the evidence and a clear verdict based on evidence and alibis etc., that is what I believe to be the basis of democracy in this country.
Everything else is a which hunt and politics.
I think people like mimi have the same emotional hateful and convinced, almost religious, attitude as people from the friends of Amanda site.
One HAS to stay scientific and calm, I am very convinced that ONLY that will add to the credibility of our case and will help to find the truth and justice for Meredith Kercher.

Posted by Malwida on 07/31/09 at 11:18 AM | #

Hi Malwida. One year ago Meredith was the forgotten person in this case, and there was a real attempt to throw it by nasty means which still to some extent continues.

TJMK was set up to try to reverse those situations.

Now many, many thousands know something of Meredith (the point of this post lest we forget it) and are moved and saddened by her life and her passing.

And the trial is on track and proceeding smoothly, and it is obviously quite legitimate.

Mimi’s two comments above are not main posts here, they are one involved reader that sought TJMK out who is now sharing how she feels about the objective facts.

She clearly seeks both for the truth about Meredith’s cruel passing to come out AND for nothing like what was being done to undermine the process to ever happen again.

You really object?!

Posted by Peter Quennell on 07/31/09 at 01:48 PM | #

Anyway, even if this is not really important in front of the truth and justice, it is impossible not to have feelings that, at moments, are overwhelming.

Amanda appears as so cunning and full of contempt, manipulative, that it is hard sometimes to admit that for her family, she is still their little angel. I have compassion for her family, honestly. They are suffering in many ways, and their dear Amanda does not seem to realize the extent of that.

Mimi is reacting, that does not mean it would influence her opinion of the truth. She feels ashamed at the idea Amanda is giving now of the American youth. Let’s not forget sweet Raffaele who would not hurt a fly, but is jumping from lie to lie without remorse.

Something wild was sleeping in those two, and it seems that their “romance” just opened the door to it.

Mawilda, passion in some comments is to be expected, but the main thing is that everyone is seeking the truth and this blog is actually going that direction. Meredith, here, became not only a victim, but also a young girl, with her beauty, her talent, her joie de vivre, her loving family, her goals.

Posted by Patou on 07/31/09 at 03:37 PM | #

I think we are all here, posting and commenting, because we care about right and wrong, and uneccesary human suffering. If we did not care more than superficially, then why bother reading about this case, let alone commenting? I am sorry that my input comes across as ‘reactionary”. I have reacted to what I have seen as injustice. (The Friends of Amanda’s attempts to purchase her freedom, her sympathy, at any cost, and no hesitation on their part to blackball the true victim, her family, or the prosecution).

A few years ago, a cousin of mine was falsely accused of rape and aggravated assault against a woman in his county. He had made a poor choice which landed his face among the mugshots from which the woman picked him out. The experience was painful for my Aunt and Uncle, but what exonerated my cousin was not modern forensic DNA testing (the woman had showered and not gone to the police for a swab!) but the fact that another assault, with the same m.o., yielded the actual rapist. I would not wish for anyone who is not guilty to serve time in this or any other case.

Malwida, please go back and carefully read my previous posts. I don’t think you will truly be able to scrape any “hateful witch-hunting” out of my actual words. You say Edda Mellas was “happy to exchange thoughts with you.” As you were privy to this exclusive interview, perhaps you would like to contribute for the rest of us, the gist of those thoughts?

As to being “religious” and “scientific”, I am an unaffilliated secular individual, who was systematically victimised by indoctrinated parochial school children (and, incidentally, lucky to be alive). I am the daughter of a brilliant (now retired) nuclear physicist (himself persecuted, by his scientific peers, as an Arab in post 9/11 America!) and well educated in the sciences. I happen to believe that the psychological underpinnings (psychology being a respected science) are equally important to forensic details in solving this case.i see the behaviour, attitudes and philosophies of AK and RS having tremendous bearing upon their actions.

Sorry if my style is a bit more “balls to the wall” than some. I don’t see the call to treat anyone under suspicion of so heinous an act as the torture and murder of a friend with cotton wool and kid gloves.

Posted by mimi on 08/01/09 at 01:58 AM | #

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