The Laramie Project is a play that details the reactions of the Laramie, Wyoming community to the murder of gay student Matthew Shepard. As different residents recount the details of the event and reflect on the effects of the hate crime, two feelings arise: one that sees the media portrayal of the community following Shepard's death reflecting their own ideas about Laramie, and the other who find that it contradicts their own vision. .Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The descriptions at the beginning of the play portray Laramie in a positive light, and it seems that a murder like that of Matthew Shepard could hardly have taken place in such a peaceful and friendly place. Many, like Rebecca Hilliker, believed that “you [had] the opportunity to be happy in your life here […] the sun was shining (Kaufman 4). Similarly, others, such as college student Jedidiah Schultz, describe Laramie as “a beautiful town… [where] you can have your own identity” (7). However, since the events, media coverage has forged the identity of the city of Laramie into one closely associated with a hate crime, today “a city defined by an accident” (7). With Laramie's recognition propelled nationally, the characters raise the question: Should Laramie be defined by the actions of Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson? The media coverage was overwhelming and unfamiliar; Jon Peacock recounts hundreds of journalists and how the city “was not used to this type of exposure” (46). It was unusual for Laramie to be scrutinized, and the intensity of such actions aroused resentment among the town's residents. Sergeant Hing calls the flood of information "sensationalism", while Eileen Engen believes that Laramie has been "more or less slandered" by journalists (47). Hing and Engen are frustrated by what they perceive as a skewed portrayal of their community, with the press reducing what we should know about Laramie to an indelible disruption. In a sense, these actions also serve to ensure that the incident is not ignored or forgotten by Laramie residents. On the other hand, some residents align with the news because they feel it helps them reveal their long-standing unease about the incident. Laramie. Laramie residents are finally forced to confront their homophobia, Tiffany Edwards thinks, because “the media [makes] people responsible” (47). However, it is clear that some residents do not feel responsible. At a candlelight vigil in Laramie, Zubaida Ula recounts with frustration how someone exclaimed, "Come on guys, let's show the world that Laramie ain't the kind of town" (57). Ula believes that residents' obsession with restoring Laramie's good name is misguided because they fail to recognize that the city's latent homophobia is the very reason for the hate crime. Instead, the community must focus on reforming inward rather than outward. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Personalized Essay Through interviews with Laramie residents, Moises Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project elicit mixed emotions about the media's handling of Matthew Shepard's death. Some see it as an attack on Laramie's reputation, while others believe the media coverage has drawn attention to the real problem: the cruelty and contradictions present in their community. At the end of, 6(2), 88-106.