Lessons from the Timothy McVeigh trial II: It was drama for the sake of justice
Article Abstract:
The Timothy McVeigh trial is likened to a Broadway show, with playwrights and directors investigating and researching until a workable script was found, all played to an appreciative audience. The question is whether it will set a new paradigm for high-profile cases, causing reporters to concentrate on style over substance. Reporters will have to distinguish true 'dramatic moments' from plain 'showbusiness', to avoid getting caught up in a drama at the expense of the evidence.
Publication Name: Media Studies Journal
Subject: Mass communications
ISSN: 1057-7416
Year: 1998
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What gets on the networks?: The O.J. Simpson trial dominated recent coverage of the courts
Article Abstract:
It is not yet known whether recent trials, with their saturation levels of coverage, will be the new trend in network news. The content of the network news has been tracked by the Tyndall Report between 1987 and 1997, and the Simpson trial was ranked amongst the top 10 most heavily covered stories. The nature of trial coverage is part of the explanation as to why the trial was such a major story, sustaining its notoriety through day-in, day-out coverage.
Publication Name: Media Studies Journal
Subject: Mass communications
ISSN: 1057-7416
Year: 1998
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Flash and trash: The reporter's task is to separate courtroom news from show business
Article Abstract:
A special correspondent for the Associated Press discusses the reporters task to separate courtroom news from show business and how the reporters have become more visible in the new world of electronic court coverage. She talks of how the words 'media circus' and 'trial of the century' were used to describe the coverage of her first major trial as a lead reporter, in the Charles Manson murder trial.
Publication Name: Media Studies Journal
Subject: Mass communications
ISSN: 1057-7416
Year: 1998
User Contributions:
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