Why did the Whitechapel murders attract so much attention in 1888?

You will find the coursework sources, links to primary evidence and lots more at the

George Mitchell Year 10 wiki

What do you think? Which of these comments do you agree with?

It’s the fault of the press! Without them the murders would never have caused so much fuss.

You can use these primary sources as evidence:

Press reports worded so as to cause fear.
Images dsigned to attract readers.
A cartoon about all the posters advertising rival papers.
Circulation figures for the Star.
Press coverage of the Polly Nichols murder.
Press coverage of the Mary Kelly murder.
The letters sent to the police - were they written by journalists?

The press are not to blame. They didn’t cause the fuss, they just reported it.

You can use these primary sources as evidence.

The double murder.
The inquest into Catherine Eddowes's murder.
The postmortem on Mary Kelly.
The real enemy is poverty and neglect.