The Amber Guyger case is one of the biggest stories in Dallas history, and local news organizations are all-in with coverage of the trial that started Monday.
Several local TV stations and Court TV are providing a live feed of the proceedings, allowing a larger audience to look in on the proceedings and comment on social media as the trial unfolds.
“All the local stations are promoting it as if it’s a sweeps story,” said TV industry blogger Ed Bark ofUncleBarky.com.“They’re all going to have team coverage leading the newscast for the duration of trial, “he said.
Bark said that the“ overriding factor ”that makes the Guyger case a potential powder keg is racial – a white police officer killing an unarmed black man in his own home.
“This is a very explosive case, with polarized opinions and people dug in on both sides,” Bark said.
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The impact of the media on the trial already has been a point of contention in court proceedings.
Prior to the trial, Guyger’s attorneys wrotein a motion seeking a change of venuethat “media hysteria” had been prejudicial. The case attracted national attention when a year ago, Guyger, an off-duty Dallas police officer at the time, shot her 26 – year-old neighbor Botham Jean. She told police she thought his apartment was her own and that he was an intruder.
State District Judge Tammy Kemp decided Guyger’s murder trial would remain in Dallas.
But media coverage came up almost immediately on Monday. Guyger’s defense team questioned whether Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot violated a gag order in place by discussing the Guyger case in an interview with KDFW-TV (Channel 4).
In the interview, which aired Sunday night, Creuzot spoke about whether Guyger should have been charged with manslaughter or murder based on the facts of the case. He told the station murder was the appropriate charge.
Judge Tammy Kemp shook her head when told of the interview. “To be clear, on last night, the evening prior to the start of this trial, our elected DA did an interview about this trial?”
Guyger’s defense moved to renew their motion to change the venue for the trial and asked for a mistrial, which Kemp denied.
Jurors will be sequestered during the trial, Kemp said, and electronic devices have been banned in the courtroom.
The challenge for local media is how to cover the trial without sensationalizing the case and possibly creating “ a *** k ”” in the community, Bark said.
“It’s a bit difficult for the stations,” he said. “It’s a challenge to handle this responsibly.”
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The Dallas Morning News’broadcast partner, KXAS-TV (NBC5), led off its morning news broadcasts with coverage of the Guyger trial, said Brian Hocker, vice president of programming, research and digital media
“There are multiple crews covering the proceedings, and our reporters will also provide updates via social media,” Hocker said.
NBC5 is carrying a live-stream feed of the trial, which also runs on the dallasnews.com website, Hocker said.
“There are multiple crews covering the proceedings, and our reporters will also provide updates via social media, ”he said.
The trial also topped the websites for the local ABC, CBS and Fox affiliates in Dallas.
National broadcast cable networks also carried stories on their websites Monday as did national print media.
CNN’s Ed Lavandera was at the Dallas courthouse Monday morning. The network’s anchor, Jim Sciutto, noted how divisive the case was and asked if authorities were worried about protests.
“There’s always some concern with this type of case,” Lavandera said. “We are, you know, days away from a verdict being rendered in this case but that is probably always a concern for law enforcement surrounding a case like this,” he said.
Along with a story published Monday, CNN posted a video that included footage inside Jean’s apartment. The network was granted access to Jean’s apartment shortly after the shooting and the video accompanying the story includes footage of a bullet hole in the wall, a couch piled with laundry and a half-eaten bowl of cereal.
The New York Timesalso ran a staff -written story on its website Monday and had a reporter in Dallas providing updates on the trial’s first day.
Meanwhile, on Twitter, people discussed the opening statement by the prosecutor, Jason Hermus, who said that prior to the shooting, Guyger was distracted by text messages with her police partner, with whom she had been involved in a sexual relationship.
“Ruh Ro# AmberGuygerwas “intimate” with her partner, “said one tweet.
Another reads :
“I’ve been glued to the excellent coverage of the Amber Guyger / Botham Jean murder trial … Still a huge, raw, emotional, racial case in Dallas area.”
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