THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 28, 1994 TAG: 9410280621
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BRAD RANDOLPH, CAMPUS CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Short : 46 lines
The media will play a large role in the murder trial of O.J. Simpson, a panel of newscasters said in a teleconference at Norfolk State University on Thursday.
That was one of the dominant themes of the discussion, which was part of NSU's 10th annual Communications Conference.
Jane Curtling, executive director of the Reporters Conference of Freedom of the Press, participating by telephone, said that Judge Lance Ito has in wrestling with the media in the Simpson case, has at times threatened the press with gag orders and other restrictions. A potential issue facing Ito will be the use of cameras in the courtroom during the trial, she said.
``Use of cameras hasn't so far distorted the proceedings,'' she said.
``If it's an accuracy issue, it seems the last thing he'd want out of the courtroom is cameras,'' said Joe Boyce, senior editor of The Wall Street Journal.
John Martin, of ABC news in Washington, said that excessive coverage in certain cases results from pressure to produce. If one news agency doesn't cover the case, another will.
Other panelists raised the issue on the racial demographics of crime.
Diane Lyons, a New Jersey public defender, said one in four Blackmales between the age of 20 to 29 are in correctional institutions, compared with one in 16 whites and one in 10 Hispanics. She said there must be individual and collective efforts by society to rectify the disproportionate numbers.
Sylvester Monroe, Time magagine's acting bureau chief in Atlanta said only a few black men have been on the cover of Time in the past several years - Nelson Mandela, Arsenio Hall and Gen. Colin Powell among them.
The Simpson case, however, has not been primarily a racial story. Other issues have been extensively aired since the crime occurred. Leon Harris, a CNN anchor in Atlanta, said stories about domestic violence, interracial marriage, scrutiny of police departments and use of DNA evidence in convictions have increased since the incident.
Linda Moffatt, vice president for sales and marketing of Turner Broadcasting, served as moderator of the session. by CNB