{"id":48892,"date":"2016-09-04T14:32:09","date_gmt":"2016-09-04T21:32:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/?p=48892"},"modified":"2016-09-04T14:32:09","modified_gmt":"2016-09-04T21:32:09","slug":"the-csi-effect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/index.php\/2016\/09\/the-csi-effect\/","title":{"rendered":"The CSI Effect"},"content":{"rendered":"
The following is an article from Uncle John\u2019s Bathroom Reader<\/a><\/em><\/div>\n

How real are the TV shows that focus on police and lawyers? A few go all out for accuracy, while others get laughed at by the professions they portray. But they\u2019ve all had an impact on society\u2026both positive and negative.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"crime<\/a>FAMILIAR FORMULA<\/strong><\/p>\n

If there were no cops, prosecutors, or defense attorneys, the television airwaves would probably be far less crowded. Over the past 60 years, these professions have dominated primetime schedules. Why? They all offer formulas ready-made for drama: A brand-new conflict is presented to the protagonists each week, promising to be full of mystery, intrigue, and\u2026predictability. Viewers can rely on the fact that near the end of the viewing hour, one crucial piece of evidence will appear and lead to the capture of the elusive killer, or to the acquittal of the wrongly accused defendant. Then comes the philosophical musing that wraps everything up neatly, providing a clean slate for next week\u2019s episode.<\/p>\n

Real life is rarely so cut-and-dried. And while some may argue that cop and lawyer shows are merely entertainment, actual cops and lawyers claim these shows can make their already-difficult jobs even harder.<\/p>\n

JURORS\u2019 PRUDENCE<\/strong><\/p>\n

The \u201cCSI effect\u201d occurs primarily inside the courtroom. Its first incarnation was referred to as the Perry Mason effect, based on the popular fictional defense attorney\u2019s trademark ability to clear his client by coercing the guilty party into confessing on the witness stand. During Mason\u2019s TV heyday, from the 1950s to the \u201880s, many prosecutors complained that juries were hesitant to convict defendants without that \u201cPerry Mason moment\u201d of a confession on the stand\u2014which in real life is very, very rare.<\/p>\n

After Perry Mason went off the air, a new kind of law enforcement program appeared: the scientific police procedural (which started with Quincy, M.E., a drama about a crime-solving medical examiner that aired from 1976 to \u201883). But few cop shows have matched the success of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation<\/em>, which debuted in 2000 and has spawned two successful spin-offs. A 2006 TV ratings study in 20 countries named CSI \u201cthe most watched show in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

MYTH-CONCEPTIONS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Along with similar shows such as NCIS<\/em>, Diagnosis: Murder<\/em>, and Bones<\/em>, CSI<\/em> focuses on forensic evidence and lab work as the primary means of catching killers. These dramas may be \u201cripped from the headlines,\u201d but when it comes to telling an entertaining story, certain liberties must be taken by the writers:<\/p>\n