Black Watch: Today’s Top Stories
As the Meedja moves into the period of building hysteria, coverage that was merely cacophonous has now morphed into confusion akin to a conversation between crystal meth addicts. Where the Globe and the Star each devoted respectful single pages to Black et al.’s (almost) last day in the dock (the Globe’s headshots of four white-guy lawyers affording their predictions—innocent, guilty, likely innocent, and guilty on two charges—were a throwback to the golden age of probity, circa 1955), the Post went completely (and if there were a more apropos description I’d use it) ape shit. Eleven pages of wall-to-wall lemming-like fascination. A media column covering the media columns about the media columns; a 50-bazillion-word wrap-up by Theresa Tedesco; mini-profiles of Black’s friends, enemies, and the one thing they all share—his various civil suits; George Jonas free-associating in a column that wouldn’t be out of place in High Times. I could go on.
The Brits weighed back in with both The Times and the Guardian leading with a quote from Sussman urging the jurors to “follow the money.” Both gleefully reported that this was a reference to Woodward and Bernstein’s famed book and movie All the President’s Men—further evidence that Brit reporters think of America as a movie for which they wrote the treatment but subsequently lost the rights.
Like Deep Throat said, ‘follow the money’ to Black’s door, jurors told [Guardian]Fate of Lord Black now rests with jury [Times of London]Jurors Are Expected to Get Conrad Black’s Case Today [NY Times]Case disclosed [National Post]Buyers prosecution’s star witness: rebuttal [National Post]Prosecutor: Radler no ‘star’ [Chicago Tribune]Conrad Black [ROB]Juvenile pleas last Black defence [Toronto Star]
