Los Angeles, CA—Recently a
UCLA student and water polo athlete, Hokop Kaplanyan was arrested on April 2
2013 after being accused of raping a coed in a residence hall. The school suspended Kaplanyan after his
arrest.
Since the arrest the actual
charge/s were not filed and Kaplanyan was released. The matter is currently under review by both
prosecutors and UCLA officials.
Kaplanyan had insisted that
he was dating the alleged victim and they had consensual sex. The coed has so far avoided any media
attention.
Kaplanyan’s lawyer Berc
Agopoglu, used Facebook to say thet the suspension would be appealed and that
his client was innocent suggesting that he’d prevail at clearing him.
Soon a group of eleven of
Kaplanyan’s friends took to YouTube and posted a video of support for him.
One thing for sure the
allegation is serious and may be difficult to prove. Under our system of justice it will take more
than the coed’s testimony alone to convict Kaplanyan. Physical evidence and witnesses or a lack of
them will decide Kaplanyan’s fate.
The influence and effect of
Social Media in such a case exceeds TV and newspaper coverage
substantially. Anyone with interest in
such a story will direct their computer search engines, locate and devour the
text, photos and videos. Traditional
forms of media would most likely go unseen by the people that count.
I can guarantee that school
officials, the involved cops, prosecutors, judge and even jurors will read this
article. So will the alleged victim, her
friends and any witnesses.
The other benefit of Social
Media is those normal mainstream media protections of so-called victims and
their personal baggage don’t apply.
Things that would normally never see the light of day such as a
so-called victim’s prior perjury or prostitution arrests or other lurid
information can be freely published on Social Media.
Social Media is a game
changer in the criminal justice system.
I’ve seen numerous criminal cases affected in positive ways. Prosecutors and judges hate finding
themselves on the wrong side of public opinion since they are political
animals.
In addition to needing a
lawyer and private investigator today’s accused need Social Media experts to
get the right information out for public consumption. YouTube, Facebook and Twitter are playing a huge part in nearly every serious criminal case.
Lawyers even the accused, are
restricted as to what information they can reveal to the media. Nothing would preclude a suspect’s family
from hiring an accomplished blogger or filmmaker to posting credible
information that would shed light on a criminal case.
The Social Media consultant
entrusted with such a task needs to have a solid understanding of the law along
with the judgment to avoid having efforts to help an accused backfire and
actually damage the defense.
Cops and prosecutors have
very thin skin and can be counted upon to retaliate against an accused if they
feel they are portrayed in a less than favorable light. Any Social Media manager or consultant must
be careful every step of the way.
Frankly I enjoy using the
power of Social Media to keep cops, prosecutors and courts under the Social
Media microscope. Social Media can’t do
much for someone facing overwhelming evidence and confessions. It can however go a long way to help the
innocent.
Here is the YouTube friends
posted in support of Hokop Kaplanyan:
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