The "CSI" Effect

Goe sent me this link today about the effect CBS's CSI is having on jurors. The article says that the show has influenced how jurors view evidence in court cases. In particular, they are demanding definitive forensic evidence, despite the fact that most cases don't have that luxury. This came on the heels of our conversation last night about the effect 24 has on people, convincing them that terrorist plots are always twenty-four hour ticking bombs where the terrorists' identities are always known and they use each other's names on the phone. My claim was that stories like 24 are what people use to justify torture (see my earlier post on this topic).

But when you think about it, haven't stories, whether on television, radio, books, or just poems passed down orally always done this? When people don't have first hand experience with something, they rely on what they hear in stories. Nothing unusual about that, there's no way anyone could have first hand knowledge of everything. It's just important to recognize that stories are just that, and are not always accurate representations of reality. Doesn't make them any less entertaining or relevant. I'm sure there are lots of examples through the ages. The first that came to mind was the story of the fall of Satan as told in John Milton's Paradise Lost. How many people actually believe his accounts of Heaven and Hell are spiritual truths, when in fact it's just a story?