Now on Trial: Nancy Grace’s Coverage of Tot Mom

By Chris Ariens 

The Atlantic:

[T]he Casey Anthony story was made for Nancy Grace and Nancy Grace was made for the Casey Anthony story. One would not have developed (or devolved) the way it did without the other. Which brings me to another reason why so many people followed the case. Because they could!

New York Times:

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Before the defense lawyers headed to the restaurant, Terrace 390, they criticized what they called the media’s bias against their client. “I think we should all take this as an opportunity to learn and to realize that you cannot convict someone until they’ve had their day in court,” said the lead lawyer, Jose Baez. Ms. Grace took offense. The lawyers attacked the media “like we had something to do with it,” she said. “We didn’t have anything to do with it. This was all Tot Mom.”

Associated Press:

Grace appeared to take [defense attorney Cheney] Mason’s comments personally. “What does he care about what pundits are saying?” she said, adding that she imagines she’s tried and covered as many cases as Mason. She criticized defense attorneys for

delivering media criticism before mentioning Caylee’s name in their post-verdict news conference. “Caylee’s death is now just a blip on the screen,” she said. “It didn’t mean anything. It didn’t amount to a hill of beans.”

Los Angeles Times:

“You cannot manufacture trials,” noted Andrew Tyndall, a consultant and analyst of television news. The good news for HLN, he said, is that it established itself as home for “the sensational trial.” The bad news is that “we may have to wait for another five years for the next trial of the century.”

The Hollywood Reporter:

“There are always stories to be told,” said Scot Safon, executive vp of HLN. “So I don’t worry that this was our moment and now it’s gone. I think we have lots of stories to tell.”

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