Casey Anthony: Why boycott ‘48 Hours Mystery’? - Hal

Casey Anthony: Why boycott ‘48 Hours Mystery’?
posted by halboedeker on April, 13 2011 9:45 AM

Many readers tell me they won’t watch “48 Hours Mystery” this weekend on the Casey Anthony case.

Sorry, but I don’t buy that approach.

Generally, you need to watch something before you criticize it. Don’t you want to part of the discussion about what the CBS newsmagazine presented?

You’ll know what you’re talking about if you watch. The program airs at 10 p.m. Saturday on WKMG-Channel 6.

There’s been a furor over the focus group the show assembles to weigh Anthony’s guilt. She is charged with first-degree murder in the death of her daughter, Caylee.

Yes, the CBS report gives new meaning to “trial by media” and seems outrageous. How could the CBS show do that if it isn’t clear what evidence will be introduced at trial? Good question. But CBS wasn’t sharing a lot of detail about that segment. You’ll need to watch to see how the focus group was handled. And CBS was adamant on this point: It’s a focus group and not a mock jury.

The prosecution isn’t talking to CBS, but Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi is. That’s a mighty interesting twist.

Defense attorneys Jose Baez and Cheney Mason talk to “48 Hours Mystery.” Their latest quotes are likely to be repeated in newscasts. Don’t you want to hear what they say for yourself?

And to the people who say they’ll boycott CBS: Something will pop up on CBS that you’ll want to watch. It might “NCIS,” the NFL or NCAA basketball. The work of “48 Hours Mystery” is just one part of a huge company. Why let one report deprive you of a lot of good stuff?

In other Anthony news, WFTV-Channel 9 turned to prosecutor Jeff Ashton’s motion to keep out of the trial the reports of two mental health experts for the defense. The upshot: “Casey Anthony’s attorneys appear to want the jury to hear about the tough times in Casey Anthony’s life, but not necessarily hear it from Casey herself,” WFTV’s Steve Barrett said.

WFTV legal analyst Bill Sheaffer said, “The prosecutors are right on. The prosecutors recognize exactly what the defense is attempting to do, and they’re shutting this down before the door even gets open.”

No one from the defense team was quoted in the report.

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2011/04/casey-anthony-why-boycott-48-hours-mystery.html