A crime is an act punishable by the state that causes harm or discontent to a community or individual. Crime is known as “an action or omission which constitutes an offense which may be prosecuted by the State and punished by law”1. Crime can be classified according to various elements that violate the rights of a community as a whole. Criminal acts are punishable upon proof of guilt presented to the court. Therefore, criminal law is the law that defines these crimes and can facilitate or establish their subsequent punishments. These criminal laws are enforced through criminal proceedings and trials. These trials can, however, be influenced, corrected and sometimes even regulated by the media. This creates a serious problem of injustice and unfair trial within society, and can prove detrimental to the foundations of just law and punishment. The term "media trial" is used when individuals and others involved in legal proceedings or cases believe that media coverage and opinions have violated their rights to a fair trial. This often includes the idea that information published in the media can influence the jury's decision and override a fair and equitable decision-making process, thereby preventing the individual from having the right to plead innocent until proven guilty. guilty. There have been many incidents and cases that have led the media to publish incorrect judgments, or create their own illegitimate purpose or opinion on a matter, thereby publishing headlines that incite bias. This tends to undermine the role of the judiciary, which has not yet pronounced a sentence against the individual. This means that the jury could easily enter the courtroom, already having knowledge of the invalid media...... middle of paper ......ated: November 17, 2011Dictionarywww.dictionary.reference.com/browseCopyright 2011BBC News On This Day (1950 - 2005) “Your memories of the Baby Goofy trial” http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/witness/october/29/newsid_4395000/4395984.stmD'Arcy, William Theodore - Bill D'Arcy Support Group “Victim of Media Trial” http://www.apersonalhistory.com/Bill_D'Arcy/frBillAppeal.htmlLawrence, Kara Daily Telegraph “Inside the Mind of an Evil Predator” http://www.dailytelegraph. com.au/news/inside-the-mind-of-evil-predator-convicted-paedophile-dennis-ferguson/story-e6freuy9-1225776838465Date: September 19, 2009BOOKS: Miller, Frederic P “Trial By Media” VDM Publishing House Ltd 2010Totaro , Paola “Born or raised? : Martin Bryant » Fairfax Books, 2009 Writer, Larry “The Australian Book of True Crime” Pier 9 Publishing. 2008