Florida Gulf Coast University’s journalism program held a public forum today examining media coverage and accountability during the Trayvon Martin case.
A special projects producer at WKMG-TV in Orlando who covered the Casey Anthony trial in 2010 and the George Zimmerman trial in 2013, as well as that station’s legal analyst, spoke to students and community members about the importance of media coverage of such big cases.
During the Travyon Martin case, in which George Zimmerman was on trial for 2nd degree murder, the station used Luis Calderon who runs a criminal defense practice in Orlando where he specializes in drug and weapons-related crimes. Producer Lauren Sweeney said he helped to explain what was going on in court as well as the facts of law.
“He was very helpful in being able to tell us what things were protocol and what things were out of the ordinary, what things were different from what he’s seen in a courtroom, whether or not he thought the judge was responding fairly or unfairly, what you think is going on in the mind of a jury when you’re an attorney, what’s important about jury selection,” said Sweeney.
Calderon said he noticed national media got facts wrong including reporting statements from a 911 call that weren’t actually there.
Sweeney said before the trial, Zimmerman’s attorney Mark O’Mara was her station’s legal analyst. When he took the case, she said they had to look for a new one and be careful not to look biased in their coverage.
FGCU’s journalism program holds a second public forum on the same topic Wednesday October 2 at 2:00 in Edwards Hall room 112 on campus.