Associate Professor Sharon Ross discusses the convicted brothers’ TikTok defenders in Menendez Brothers: Misjudged?

Columbia Cinema and Television Arts Associate Professor Sharon Ross was interviewed about the TikTok movement to free the infamous Menendez brothers for the new Investigation Discovery documentary Menendez Brothers: Misjudged? The documentary focuses on the high-profile murder trial of two brothers convicted of murdering their parents, a case that is still a hot topic 30 years later.  

Ross, who studies television and fan behavior, explained to the New York Times that the boom in true crime, alongside “short-form social media like TikTok that encourages ‘bite-sized’ high-impact posts that aim to generate reactions,” has fueled debate among young people online on “big picture issues such as how we define truth, justice, and equity.” 

Menedez Brothers: Misjudged? premiered on August 7 and is streaming now on Investigation Discovery and Discovery+. Watch the trailer here. 

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