Several days ago, I wrote that I understood all the interest in the beheading trial of Muzzammil “Mo” Hassan but still wondered if the local TV stations and the Buffalo News really thought that viewers and readers needed live blogging of every detail.

I also questioned whether their manpower could be put to better use.

The reaction to that statement was mixed.

A Facebook friend who deals with the media wrote that he thought the extensive Hassan coverage was a big turnoff.

But then a fellow college journalism professor wrote that she loved the live blogging. She called the trial a Freak Show and compared it to a reality series by the Kardashian sisters.

Then a guy who works at a local TV station admitted that he checks in with the Hassan blog daily because of the “weirdness” of the case.

I’m not changing my tune, but I guess I should amend my statement. Readers and viewers don’t need live blogging, but some reasonable and intelligent people seem to be enjoying it.

And in these economic times, TV stations and newspapers will do anything they can to attract eyeballs even if it doesn’t meet the standard of what used to pass for very important news.

The case does meet several standards of what is newsworthy, including proximity, prominence, conflict, human interest and novelty. But it really isn’t that important to most viewers and readers and just appeals to base instincts.  

Confession time. Decades ago, I used to cover the County and Supreme Courts as a reporter. I even covered a few cases that would have been candidates for live blogging if Al Gore had invented the Internet back then. (OK, I know Al didn’t invent it, so please don’t write.) 

I’m thankful I didn’t have to do any live blogging and was able to give the trials my full concentration.

Since then, technology (and scandal) seems to have as much to do with choosing what should be covered as importance.

Why is practically everyone blogging the Hassan trial?

Because they can.

At times, the newspaper covers events because they provide good video for their websites and not because they are important.

In the short run, the media is trying anything it can to get people to the future of their businesses – their websites.

In the long run, it probably isn’t a healthy development for the media or the public being served.

One wonders if the live blogging leads to reporters personalizing the stories they later do for their stations. On Tuesday, Channel 4’s Lorey Schultz told viewers what part of the proceedings perhaps disturbed her the most, which isn’t usually the role of a reporter.  

While I’m not a fan of live blogging, some of the blog postings in the newspaper were interesting.

The News reported that Judge Thomas P. Francyzk, told jurors that the courtroom proceedings would differ greatly from TV courtroom shows.

“That’s show biz, that’s drama, but not evidence,” he said.

Some TV drama series – perhaps one of the “Law & Orders” – will likely eventually give the case a fictional take. However, it may be tough to make a realistic episode of the bizarre case and provide any suspense about the verdict.

The Hassan case hasn’t exactly been providing many teachable moments beyond focusing on domestic violence.

However, it has taught viewers and readers the legal difference between being a killer and a murderer. Hassan has admitted he killed his wife, Aasiya Zubair Hassan. He has pleaded not guilty of murder.

Judge Franczyk also told the jurors to avoid media coverage and added “I promise you that everything you need to decide the case in terms of fact and law” will be presented in the courtroom.

In this media age, it probably would be hard to avoid everything.

I was slightly surprised to see Channel 2 carry an interview last week with a therapist who dealt with the Hassans and said Mo Hassan was the only person that she treated that frightened her.

However, jurors were told to avoid the media and presumably they didn’t see that interview.

Since their hands and actions are visible in court, we certainly can be assured that the jurors were much more likely to have seen the Kardashian sisters than any live blogging of this Freak Show. 

pergament@msn.com

Be Sociable, Share!

•