Time magazine continues its coverage of Florida’s Casey Anthony murder trial, focusing on media aspects of “the first major murder trial of the social-media age.” The Washington Post and Miami Herald are among major outlets offering live streams of the case. CNN and NBC air so much coverage of the trial that the networks each decided to erect a two-story, air-conditioned structure across from the courthouse. The broadcast village around the court often grows to hundreds of media vehicles.
They are relative latecomers. The first public mention of the case appeared on MySpace on July 3, 2008, when Cindy Anthony, Casey’s mother, posted a distraught message saying her daughter had stolen “lots of money” and wasn’t allowing her to see her granddaughter.Tnd most reliable news of the trial comes from a Twitter account, NinthCircuitFL. That’s the feed managed by the 9th Judicial Circuit Court, which has some 400 reporter-blogger followers. (As the first court in the U.S. to use DNA evidence, in a 1987 rape case, it’s accustomed to being on the cutting edge.) Facebook pages honoring Caylee have amassed tens of thousands of friends, and Twitter accounts like CaseyJunky and OSCaseyAnthony (managed by the Orlando Sentinel are adding followers at a rate of hundreds per day. Virtually no one doubts that Anthony was involved in her child’s death.