Entries by Jill

Being a friend of the Peterson family, I was given the privilege of supporting Scott in the courtroom on several occasions during his trial. I had seen inaccurate reporting by the media (and police) since the day Laci went missing, but I was still surprised by the inaccurate reports that came out of the courtroom.

The "media section" in the courtroom was filled with lap-top computer screens in plain view. I was shocked by some of what I saw. It soon began to make sense why much of the media could be so far off in their reporting.

I saw well known local and national news reporters constantly instant messaging, taking erroneous notes about testimony, and reading magazines. I overheard some reporters whispering during testimony as to which actors looked enough like the family members to be in a movie about this case. Sadly, the media seats would begin to empty as the day went on. Perhaps one of the most disturbing days was when I saw a reporter right in front of me spend most of the morning surfing a match making website; looking for a lunch hour rendezvous.

This was one of the most publicized trials in America's history. Cameras were not allowed in the courtroom. Seats available to the general public were extremely limited and buying the transcripts cost thousands of dollars. The majority of available seats were given to the media and these reporters carried a unique responsibility to report the facts to the world. Unfortunately, I saw many of them take that responsibility very lightly.

Jill