COMMENTARY | HLN host Nancy Grace has been attacking Casey Anthony for years, and the end of her trial was no different. Predictably, Grace had choice words for Anthony after her acquittal, saying on her HLN show that "the devil was dancing" following the verdict. Although the jury concluded there wasn't enough evidence to convict the Florida mother, that wasn't enough to sway Grace, or other TV personalities.
Whenever there is a hot-button trial, disappearance or legal media circus, Grace is usually the one to lead the charge and hysteria. It was no different with this case; the former prosecutor was one of the first to extensively cover the disappearance and death of 2-year-old Caylee Anthony. After authorities focused their attention on Casey, the coverage turned quite hostile.
The fervor reached a climax after Tuesday's verdict when, against all odds and media coverage, Anthony was found not guilty. Naturally, after spending months and years arguing otherwise, Grace railed against the defense, who she claimed was performing a "champagne toast" afterward, and argued the media was blameless compared to the "tot mom."
Other than Grace, the biggest outrage over the verdict was shown by Bill O'Reilly, especially when Geraldo Rivera tried to defend the jury's ruling. O'Reilly outshouted him, according to Entertainment Weekly, stating "I am so angry about this verdict!"
Outrage from O'Reilly and Grace is nothing new or unexpected, given their reputations. Since these controversial figures are at the center of the media coverage, it only makes the subsequent doubt and criticism more obvious.
Anthony's attorney, J. Cheney Mason, attacked "incompetent talking heads" for leading a "media assassination" of her client, while CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin conceded that the "media's performance will be something we should all discuss."
As in the sagas of O.J. Simpson, Michael Jackson and the Ramsey family, the media helped fuel the fury over this high-profile case. The press and public will once more debate whether coverage went too far, then promise to tone it down -- at least until the next scandalous murder and accused murderer comes along.
Anthony was tailor-made for Grace and the other talking heads to attack given her questionable character, ever-changing stories about what happened, and her attitude while Caylee was missing. Yet even the talking heads have to realize by now their fury alone cannot convict someone in a court of law.
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