The Women Behind The Stories
The photos above are images of two women who gained national media attention due to being charged with falsifying documents so that their children could go to better schools for greater opportunities. Both were convicted of the same crime, but they did not do the same time. Why? That's a great question. Well, for starters, Felicity Huffman is a famous white celebrity with money and power. On the other hand, Tanya McDowell is a black woman who experienced life hardships while raising her son. Two women with different backgrounds face the criminal justice system with two different outcomes. It's safe to say that the system does work for the people whom it was created to protect.
Let's start with media..........
Treatment in the Media Coverage & Reports:
First, Felicity's media empathize with her decision to lie on documents so that her daughter can be admitted into a better college. Headlines like "Actor breaks her silence" helped with her public image. Also, the media did not refer to her as a convicted criminal or as someone stealing educational opportunities. However, the media used no judgmental language when discussing the case with Huffman, such as "college admission scandal" or "nationwide scandal." Felicity paid someone to cheat on the SAT college entrance exam for her daughter. On the other hand, the media coverage for McDowell was not the same.
McDowell's headlines and reports weaponized her identity and past infractions with the law. For example, the media headline did not say her name; headlines were like "Mom convicted of stealing" and also mentioned her being homeless and having previous drug convictions. Tanya only used a friend's address so that her son could attend a school in another district. The media deliberately mentions her past crimes as a means to justify how she is treated in the media. More importantly, the media criminalized her identity even before she was convicted of her crimes.
Furthermore, even online coverage discussing both cases mentions Huffman's name and referred to Mcdowell's case as "low income parents risks jail". The media impacted the public perceptions about both women's very public cases.
Convictions:
Felicity Huffman was charged and only served 14 days in prison, and was ordered to complete 250 hours of community service and 1 year of supervised release. However, McDowell was sentenced to 5 years and treated horribly by the media for the very same crime committed by both women
Where are they now?
Two different women, same crime, and different outcomes. Despite serving time and past infractions, Tanya Mcdowell reported she lives her life with no regrets and feels that if she had to do it all over, she would do it again for her son to have a great life. A recent article in 2017 finally mentions Tanya McDowell's name in the headline. This is powerful. I hope that she continues to live fully. As of recently, Felicity Huffman is currently reshaping her brand after the public scrutiny. Again, power and privilege do matter in a broken system.
By: Bryan Haggard
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