Marilyn Murder Mystery
by: Allyson Werking
A Gorgeous Actress
Marilyn Monroe; one of the most well known actresses around the world, even in death. Born as Norma Jean Mortenson, she had a rough childhood. She grew up in foster homes and orphanages most of her child life. In 1944, at the age of 18, she took up modeling, and two years later, she signed a contract with 20th Century Fox, and her wild, high-profile journey had begun. She stared in many films that quickly grew her to fame. She had married three times, one to famous being the famous New York Yankee, Jo Joe DiMaggio, each ending in a tragic divorce. All of these are minimal facts; what she's really known for is being America's first real sex icon. Having done a nude calender, played some racy roles in her movies, but most well known for her ties close to Washington. The Kennedy brothers. It is known that she had an affair with John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy. Affairs alone that would have made her famous. But sadly, things came to a hault, at the peak of her career, and at the height of her depression, she took her own life on August 5th, 1962 - much before her time - due to an overdose over depression medication. Or did she?
Media Portrayal
In the beginning, it was portrayed as just the suicide of one of America's most famous actresses of all time. But as time went on, people looked into it, and they found the fact that her hand was by the phone after she ingested the pills, as if she was trying to call for help. But as it was thoroughly investigated, people began to wonder if she had even done this herself. Because of her affairs with John and Robert Kennedy, some began to believe that she was killed because of the information she obtained from them. None-the-less; less and less people were believing that the death of Marilyn Monroe was more than just an overdose suicide caused by her depression. But when the brothers stopped having affairs with her, Monroe was already trying to blackmail RFK into continuing their affair, but what if she was threatening to take it even farther and threaten JFK to expose government secrets. Such as the only reason he had become president was because the vote-fixing of the Chicago mob. Or maybe that if JFK knew the truth about extraterrestrial life, he may have shared it with Monroe, and the events that lead to her death were no more than an attempt to make sure that those facts were never leaked, and ensured that those secrets were kept safe.
Bias
The type of bias that you mainly see throughout this case is bias by source selection. Because in each story you read on the death of Marilyn Monroe, they each use different pieces of information to support their opinion but never the whole piece. They use it to try to sway their audience into thinking that one reason is how she died and not because of another.
Criticisms
The main criticism used in most of the pieces on Marilyn Monroe's death is historical. Because they refer to events that happened during that time and current events that could have had an aid in her deaths.
Video Report
Report on The Death of Marilyn Monroe
Citations
"Marilyn Monroe." American Decades. Ed. Judith S. Baughman, et al. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Biography in Context. Web. 5 May 2015.
Hart, Jeffrey. "Goddess: The Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe." National Review 19 Aug. 1988: 38+. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 5 May 2015.
Southwell, David, and Sean Twist. "Marilyn Monroe - Death of a Goddess." Unsolved Celebrity Mysteries. North American ed. New York: Rosen Pub., 2008. 40-47. Print.