Casey Anthony: About how the depositions come out - Hal

Casey Anthony: About how the depositions come out
posted by halboedeker on March, 21 2011 10:22 AM

I’ve heard from several readers about this issue: Why don’t you see all the depositions in the Casey Anthony case?

Northerngirl wrote: “We are only getting bits and pieces, wonder why the purchasers are being greedy about putting them out there..I hear channel 13..GEEZ..everybody trying to make a buck or a rating.”

We’re not in an altruistic enterprise, Northerngirl.

And seeing_eye wrote: “I believe somebody paid about $2,000.00 for copies of the depositions recently released by the defense. I would assume it was a member of the media and it now looks as if it was channel 13. I guess after spending so much money they want to get their money’s worth by spoonfeeding the public only parts of them so we will keep returning for more. I wish someone would make the entire depositions available.”

They sure do want you to keep returning.

Here are some explanations:

News organizations go through the documents before they post them. You won’t see them automatically, because newspapers and TV stations want to review them before publishing or broadcasting.

The documents also cost money: $1 a page. News organizations don’t necessarily buy everything. They don’t have the money to purchase everything. (If you in the public don’t like that, you can go buy the documents at the same price.)

So if a news organization highlights something they’ve found in the documents — Central Florida News 13 reported on the neighbor who let Anthony borrow a shovel — they’ve spent the money and time digging through the material to find news. They’ve done the work. They want your attention. They will promote their findings. And you can judge whether that investment was worthwhile.

I realize some of you wanted everything that was released Friday. News organizations were busy going through depositions earlier that day, but that material quickly took a back seat to Chief Judge Belvin Perry’s rulings later in the day. The rulings were the big news.

There was a lot of news Friday in the Anthony case, but reporters had other stories to cover as well. Reporters don’t have time to cover every detail in the Anthony case. If you, dear reader, want to, go for it.

Back to the issue of making a buck or a rating … journalism is a business. News organizations have to make money so they can keep reporting. I’ve heard readers complain that journalists are making money off Caylee Anthony, the victim in this case.

But journalists have made money off covering wars, earthquakes, mass shootings, epidemics and assassinations.

Making money on bad news isn’t something new. Yet making money is the only way we can stay in business.

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2011/03/casey-anthony-about-how-the-depositions-come-out.html