HLN executives were pleased with Monday night’s special report, “Naked Justice: A Matter of Trust”, and have decided to extend the show for at least another week. The show was created quickly as a response to protests that have spread across the country in the wake of the chokehold death of Eric Garner, and the rise of hashtags like #ICantBreathe.
The 7 p.m. ET hour, hosted by CNN legal analyst Sunny Hostin and HLN legal analyst Joey Jackson, dealt with race, the justice system, and the role of social media. “The protests have been orchestrated and sustained through social media,” Hostin told TVNewser. “From my Twitter feed and Instagram accounts, it is so clear to me that social media has provided access to real time reactions and emotions from people at the heart of the stories and those it touches.”
“Naked Justice” had little promotion and few expectations, and placed a distant fourth in the demo on its first night. But HLN execs are clearly willing to give the show time, while not describing it as a “new show”.
For her part, Hostin believes there’s plenty to discuss. Hostin has compared the protests to grassroots uprisings like the Arab Spring, and believes the stories of Michael Brown and Garner have sparked a movement that “isn’t going anywhere.”