Tiger King: Amanda Knox condemns ‘rush to judgement on Carole Baskin’

‘What do I know of Carole Baskin – or any of these people – aside from what I’ve seen in this documentary?’

Amanda Knox has condemned the “rush to judgement” on Tiger King‘s Carole Baskin.

Baskin’s portrayal in the Netflix series has led some to speculate that she was involved in her husband’s disappearance. Baskin has spoken out against the programme and denied those allegations.

Don Lewis was last seen in August 1997. Authorities in Florida made a fresh appeal for more information in the case following the TV show’s release.

Knox was convicted, then acquitted of, the 2007 killing of British student Meredith Kercher in Perugia, Italy.

Now an author, writer and podcast host, Knox penned an essay reflecting on Tiger King for the website Crime Story.

She explained that she has watched Tiger King and followed the ensuing discourse, including that related to Baskin and Lewis’s disappearance.

“In the midst of this, I keep reminding myself: What do I know of Carole Baskin – or any of these people – aside from what I’ve seen in this documentary? The answer: nothing,” she wrote.

“And is this documentary an objective and comprehensive overview of the facts? Or is it a sensational story whose north star for every important storytelling decision is entertainment, not truth?”

Amanda Knox attends a panel on criminal justice in Italy, on 15 June 2019. (VINCENZO PINTO/AFP via Getty Images)

Knox referred to the 2016 Netflix documentary Amanda Knox, which documents her case as well as her portrayal in the media,

“There’s a little known fact about the Netflix doc Amanda Knox, directed by Brian McGinn and Rod Blackhurst. Every person interviewed for the film – myself, my codefendant Raffaele Sollecito, tabloid journalist Nick Pisa, my prosecutor Giuliano Mignini – everyone was given the chance to see an advance cut of the film, and everyone approved of how they were represented,” she noted.

Knox added: “I can’t imagine that most of the ‘characters’ in Tiger King would have felt validated by how they were portrayed, especially not Baskin, who is positioned as the villain among villains.

“That’s a shame, and it shows our collective obsession of the moment for what it is: a massively popular doc-series has put a group of human beings into the crosshairs of intense public scrutiny and judgement, and it’s done so without giving them the full benefit of the doubt, innocent until proven guilty.”

Tiger King was released on Netflix in March.