It was understandable that the Julie Schenecker double-murder trial would draw inordinate media coverage, including CNN’s Nancy Grace, the harridan from media hell. And it was, alas, inevitable that live streaming and Twitter would be coverage staples.
But societal reflection isn’t precluded just because these are the times we live in.
Trials in real time, as any court reporter can attest, are tedious proceedings. But when this one wasn’t, it wasn’t just because there was psychiatric conflict. It was also because it was uncomfortably horrific and tragic. That there is a viable audience for this sort of up-close-and-personally-wincing coverage speaks volumes, modern media era notwithstanding. Voyeuristic seems too polite a word.