Isabella Anne Constance Marie Wiens

This is a case of Isabella Anne Constance Marie Wiens who was born on June 11, 2011. Isabella was taken from her mother, Sara Jane Wiens in August 2011 after she was deemed unfit to care for her (Kane, 2015). In March 2013, the 21-month-old toddler was found dead in the crib at her foster home (Kane, 2015); and the place of death was listed as Burnaby (Culbert & Shaw, 2015). Two years later, Ms. Wiens is still searching for answers as the coroner’s report classified the death as being undetermined (Kane, 2015). According to the coroner’s report a queen-sized fleece blanket had been draped over the crib to keep out light that had fallen and was completely covering the child (Culbert & Shaw, 2015). The post mortem examination findings indicated
42). The Vancouver Sun published this on their front page, saying “Why did baby Isabella die in foster care?” (Culbert & Shaw, 2015). It is exactly the question everyone following this story is thinking, which hints that the answer is going to be found in the article. As discussed during lectures, these type of stories are based on human interest, life and death which cause public to feel an instant emotional connection to the story. The press can appear to side with the innocent and powerless, in this case the baby girl and her disabled mother. From a mother’s perspective, Ms. Wiens is entitled to ask these questions and receive an apology. She quotes “they’re telling me I can’t parent and that I’m dangerous and that I will potentially harm my child and…then they take her from me, put her in a home, and she ends up dead” (Bellrichard, 2015, para. 5). Resolutely, few of the articles placed “none of the allegations have been proven in court” close to the end of the story (Bellrichard, 2015). The story would have sounded rather different if that was said at the beginning of the paragraph. The sub-heading reads “Coroner's report says baby Isabella had fractures, bruises, but cause of death unknown” (Bellrichard,
This case falls in one of the categories suggested by Callahan and Callahan (1997) “one where the social worker intervenes unsuccessfully in the family and the child is injured or murdered” (p. 43). These types of media reports portrays social workers as being ineffective at their job and that they have oppressed those beneath them without obtaining justice for the death of an innocent child. Not only that, it speaks to the powerlessness that many readers may feel and offers assurance that the press is on their side, all the while offering them a titillating story written as a serialized morality play (Callahan & Callahan, 1997). As constructed by the media, the pattern of child abuse cases include an unfolding narrative which can be the search for someone to blame, the public inquiry and the finally the publication of the inquiry report (Callahan & Callahan, 1997). It makes the public ask questions about why the child welfare practices and policies fail time after time. As discussed during class, these issues are seen a social problem that has been influenced by the concepts of responsibility. The media constructs an image and only presents materials supporting that construct. In this case, the media emphasis the blame on the government and foster parents and demands the search for those held