Maybe this is just me, the journalism student, ranting about ethical media issues that nobody cares about. But who else is sick of the national media devoting so much of its time toward covering the latest chapter of the Martha Stewart saga?

It’s bad enough that white-collar crime, which constitutes an enormous amount of corruption in our society, is treated as a slap-on-the-hand offense.

The actions of Stewart’s brokers and associates, and her subsequent attempt to conceal those actions, led to laughable consequences at best. We barely said goodbye to the rose-clipping, pie-baking Stepford Wife before she emerged triumphantly from incarceration.

And now the attention Stewart receives from our news outlets is only punctuating the fact that Stewart, despite her crimes, will come out of all this cleaner than her imaginary kitchen.

Now, you can argue what she did was not a crime, but I’m not going to discuss legal philosophy. The point is, Stewart has been convicted of an infraction deemed unacceptable (although just barely) by our society and will come out unscathed. Actually, no … not unscathed … better off. Now she’s not only in control of an entertainment entity of incredible clout, but she’s also easier to sympathize with.

Stewart has released statements emphasizing her altered, more personable outlook. The personal stories told to her by jailmates while in the can, she says, have provided inspiration.

That is probably true – understanding the struggles of others always leads to personal growth.

But make no mistake. Stewart’s personal growth, whether legitimate or manufactured, undoubtedly will translate into un-proportional financial growth. Not only is she out and ready to resume operating her empire – she now is in a position to improve her image in the public eye.

But, extensive media attention and the spin Stewart will succeed in applying to it aren’t the only things in her favor.

In addition to the almost constant surveillance of her home, where Stewart is shown offering reporters snacks, Newsweek recently latched on to the issue.

But it didn’t cover it in the same critical, responsible manner it would the War in Iraq or last year’s presidential election.

According to a New York Times article by Jonathan D. Glater, the magazine superimposed Stewart’s head on to the body of a model.

An editor at the magazine claimed the photo illustration was supposed to portray Steward emerging from prison slimmer and stronger than ever, according to the article.

Now, I understand the importance of delivering stories that interest the public, but doctoring the photo of Stewart is a blatant and shameless attempt at capitalizing on an issue in a way that surpasses its actual news value.

That magazine cover serves as a mold for initial public opinion of Stewart as she re-enters society and sets her up for an image makeover, a role I was surprised to see Newsweek subject itself to.

In short, Stewart’s incarceration and the subsequent attention her freedom receives could help Stewart accomplish the one thing she never could in all her years of success – ditch her snobby image and make people like her.

Going to jail wasn’t a punishment for Martha Stewart but rather a PR opportunity.

Reisinger is a sophomore print journalism major and a copy editor of The Spectator.