From a PR point of view, some might call G.L. Carter's mission challenging, if not completely hopeless. She heads up the Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty,
headquartered in the same city where, six years ago, Timothy McVeigh bombed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. Notwithstanding the fact that family and friends of McVeigh's
168 murder victims surround Carter, Oklahomans generally support the death penalty; the state ranks number one for executions per capita in the U.S., according to Amnesty
International.
Nationally, an overwhelming percentage of Americans support McVeigh's execution, set for May 16. A recent Gallup poll shows 81% find his crimes worthy of lethal injection.
Despite swimming against a huge wave of support for the other school of thought, Carter says she has faced no antagonism while planning a prayer vigil and press conference to
protest the execution. And she's faced a media onslaught. Starting two weeks ago, she's been besieged by calls from journalists as far away as the U.K, Germany, and Japan. And she
gives them a very up-front and personal look at violent crime and its aftermath. In 1991, Carter's seven-year-old granddaughter was murdered. Carter attended the killer's
execution and related her experience on NBC's "Dateline."
Carter is confident that efforts to pass a moratorium on executions will succeed, especially as advances in DNA analysis exonerate more death row inmates and more revelations
surface about botched, unfair prosecutions. It's a matter of enlisting the media to get the word out. "[The debate over capital punishment] is coming to a forefront," she says.
"We're hoping that as more media come here and show that there is a problem, better heads will prevail."
Media Flameout vs. Lasting Impression
There's no question that McVeigh's execution will be one of the year's biggest media stories. But whether or not it will be detrimental to Carter's efforts and countless others
who try to influence public opinion -- including high profile opponent Sister Helen Prejean, author of "Dead Man Walking"-- remains to be seen.
"McVeigh is a poster boy for the death penalty," says Steven Stewart, prosecuting attorney for Clark County, Ind., and a part-time criminal law instructor at Indiana University
Southeast. Stewart strongly supports the death penalty and posts arguments on a Web site in his official capacity as prosecutor. "No one is against McVeigh's execution unless they
are against all executions," he says. "There is no question of racial bias or an inept prosecution...it really sharpens the debate."
The debate may be razor-sharp now but it could have limited impact, according to those in the know. Like many big stories that garner worldwide attention, it may flame out
quickly, leaving the national debate to wither. And once it does, most everyone PR NEWS interviewed for this story believes that intense public scrutiny is difficult to revive. "I
asked my students, who are between 22 and 25 years old, to answer a quiz question about O.J. Simpson," says Stewart. "Barely any of them knew who he was. I guess that's some
indication of how fleeting news accounts are."
And public opinion is downright fickle on controversial issues, points out Tim Lynch, director of the Project on Criminal Justice for The Cato Institute, a conservative
Washington, DC think tank. Lynch has done extensive research on the death penalty and shares Carter's opinion that the measure, more often than not, is doled out unjustly. Winning
the debate, he believes, means taking relevant information to the media in a gradual push, not just jumping into the fray whenever a big story like the McVeigh execution breaks.
"Public opinion shifts back and forth," he says. "The more people learn about the death penalty and the mistakes and misconduct involved...the more doubts will come to their minds
about whether it's prudent to retain it."
"Strictly a Ratings Bash"
You might think that Dudley Sharp, resource director for one of the most vocal pro-death penalty organizations in cyberspace, Justice for All (JFA.net), would be enthusiastic
about the media circus surrounding McVeigh's execution. But he says the sensationalized coverage surrounding high profile murder trials gives perpetrators more spotlight and takes
it away from those who deserve it most -- the victims of violent crime. He regrets the "carnival" atmosphere that so often accompanies high profile executions. "Executions are a
sober and somber event that should always be taken seriously," he says. But "bad guys generate sensationalism and victims don't," he laments.
Sharp doesn't blame the media for showing up in droves. "In a crass sense, it's strictly a ratings bash and you can't afford not to be there."
The "ratings bash" ensures that the debate will continue and that each side will pull out all the stops to sway public opinion. Sr. Helen Prejean, appearing at a news
conference in recent days, stated that a more fitting punishment for McVeigh would be to spend the rest of his life in prison surrounded by photos of his victims. Apparently her
voice penetrates the media: her best-selling book was made into a 1995 movie that garnered several Oscar nominations.
(G. L. Carter, 405/427-1111; Steven Stewart, 812/285-6264; Tim Lynch, 202/ 842-0200; Dudley Sharp, [email protected])
Choose a Side
The debate over capital punishment rages on the Internet, with searches netting hundreds of Web sites, chat rooms, and resources. Once again, the Web proves a bastion for those
who buck popular opinion; the vast majority online oppose capital punishment (most Americans believe it is acceptable at least some of the time.)
Pro-Death Penalty sites:
http://www.ClarkProsecutor.org (Site of Clark County Indiana prosecutor's office)
http://www.ProDeathPenalty.com (Portal to pro-death penalty links and resources)
http://www.FA.net (A criminal justice reform organization)
Anti-Death Penalty Sites
http://www.ocadp.org (Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty)
http://www.Derechos.org/dp (Internet-based human rights organization)
http://www.DeathPenalty.net (A network of national organizations opposed to the death penalty)