A verdict, a scandal and a soaring final flight made the week - Daytona Beach News-Journal
The week just completed has been one to remember if you're a news junkie, perhaps especially for those of us in the media. Three events occurred, one somewhat below the radar, and two very much above it. All of them carry lessons for people who earn a living telling others the news.
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We began the week with final arguments in the highly publicized murder trial of Casey Anthony, accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee. On Tuesday, Casey Anthony was found not guilty of murder and aggravated child abuse. She was found guilty of four misdemeanor offenses of lying to law officers. On Thursday, it was determined that because of credit for time served and good behavior, she will be set free July 17.
In Orlando, where the trial was held, and across Florida and the nation and the world, the response from many was outrage. People are angry because many believe Casey Anthony should have been convicted of killing her child. They are angry at her defense team. And they're angry at the jurors who acquitted her. On the day of her sentencing, one woman outside the Orange County Courthouse carried a sign reading: "JUROR 1-12 GUILTY OF MURDER."
A couple weeks ago, I wrote in this column that the intense interest in this case had little to do with the death of an innocent child. "The public -- and the media -- are obsessed with this trial because Casey Anthony is a pretty 25-year-old woman. And everyone wants to know what will happen next," I wrote. After the column was published, I received a handful of emails from readers who took me to task for suggesting that their interest was in any way a result of Casey Anthony's appearance.
To those readers, I agree that I painted with too broad a brush, and I stand corrected. Clearly, many people followed Casey Anthony's trial because of their strong feelings for her child.
But I won't change my opinion about the media's -- and especially cable television's -- over-the-top interest in the Casey Anthony case. With thousands of murder cases to choose from in the past three years, why did Headline News and others focus so much attention on Casey Anthony? Here's what I believe: Talking heads and instant experts became obsessed with Casey Anthony at least partly because they knew her physical appearance, combined with other circumstances surrounding the case, would make for great ratings. ...
Partly because Casey Anthony absorbed much of the public's attention, a major media scandal in England received less attention than maybe it deserved.
The Sunday tabloid News of the World became embroiled in a phone-hacking scandal. The 2.7 million circulation newspaper, which for years has specialized in sex scandals and other tawdry news, is alleged to have hacked into the phone messages of up to 4,000 people, including celebrities, politicians, terrorism victims, dead soldiers -- even the family of a 13-year-old murder victim.
News of the World is owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. The conglomerate also owns media around the globe, including the FOX News channel, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Post. When the phone-hacking scandal bubbled over and advertisers began jumping ship, Murdoch boldly announced that he would close the tabloid after a final edition today. Proceeds from the final edition's sales will go to charity.
Murdoch is nothing if not shrewd, and he made the right decision to close a newspaper that stepped so far over the line.
Other media can derive their own lessons from this episode.
At The News-Journal, it reinforces what we already believe. Readers can be assured that our reporters and editors will never hack phone messages, or do anything else illegal or unethical, to get a story. ...
Finally, on Friday, we witnessed the launch of the last space shuttle, Atlantis. Or at least we tried to see it.
More than a million people made their way to or near Cape Canaveral to view the launch. But cloud cover obscured the launch for many who were farther away, or not on the beach. At The News-Journal, employees gathered in the parking lot to watch the stream of flame and vapor cut the sky as Atlantis roared into the heavens. We didn't see a thing.
Oh well.
Our photographers nearer to the launch captured some great images of history in the making, which we published online and in print. Our Saturday edition's front page fittingly focused entirely on Atlantis.
Given the nature of some other news, it felt good to end the week with a history-making moment that we can all take pride in. Godspeed, Atlantis!
Rice is The News-Journal's editor. His email is pat.rice@news-jrnl.com.
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