The Oscar trial has had South Africa caught up in a media and social media frenzy since it kicked off on March 5th, with some tense moments, tough cross examinations, Pistorius’ iPhone and everything in between keeping South Africans glued to their devices and TVs following the trial.
Data Driven Insight Africa (DDI Africa) has been following the case closely and gives us a glimpse into popularity trends around the trial over the past few weeks.
If you’re losing interest in the trial and any news around it, you’re not alone. Media coverage of the trial has dropped significantly over the weeks. We think it will probably pick up when judgement is about to be passed.
Here are a few other interesting facts:
Of all the witnesses called to the stand so far, Michelle Burger, Pistorius’ neighbour who was on stand from March 3rd, and Darren Fresco, his friend who was questioned days later, received the most media publicity during their testimonies.
News of Pistorius selling his house was the most widely covered topic compared to him having viewed pornography on his iPad on the night of Reeva’s death and his iPhone being unlocked.
More media across the world seem to indicate that Pistorius might be guilty, while less than 2% indicate he might be innocent.
Not surprisingly, Barry Roux has received three times more coverage in the media than his counterpart, Gerrie Nel.
Head over to the DDI Africa Twitter account to view more charts and graphs depicting topics such as the trial’s popularity vs that of the Nkandla Report, which Twitter account live tweeting the trial is the most popular and lots more.
[Main image: Shutterstock. Charts: DDI Africa]
