Sunday, November 15, 2009

Katfish Ponders Recognized by the MSM

As many of you know, my blogging friend katfish has been attending the hearings (and mini-trial) at a historic Galesburg, IL courthouse for accused spree killer Nicholas Sheley and reporting on the proceedings. I have to say, she's been doing a fantastic job and T&T has been honored to run her coverage of the Sheley case.

Recently, a local mainstream media paper, The Zephyr, recognized katfish's efforts. The article appeared on the paper's front page on November 5th. Last week, the article appeared online so I can finally link to it.

Here is a small snippet from the article:

Before Sheley's arrest and the subsequent hearings in Knox County Circuit Court Fisher had never attended an actual court proceeding in person. She had watched hours upon hours of televised courtroom activity on Court TV until that cable channel redefined itself last year. It was then that she first began watching streaming video of courtroom action over the Internet, something that still captures much of her time. “There was nothing like the 'in the courtroom feel' of televised trials until I began attending real courtroom trials myself.” But almost no one has been a more dedicated attendee of the many various hearings regarding Sheley than Fisher.


“From the beginning family and friends of Ronald Randall have conscientiously attended hearings along with a number of regular newspaper, radio and television reporters. I have come to know all the principals involved in the Sheley case, his defense lawyers, the prosecuting attorneys, and the judges. I try to take meticulous notes in the courtroom and I have done a lot of legal research so I now feel pretty comfortable with the legal jargon. I want my blog to be an accurate and objective record of what goes on in court and to that end I try to keep my own feelings out of it as much as possible.”


T&T congratulates katfish on this well deserved recognition.

4 comments:

shari said...

Yay Katfish, nice to see that serious bloggers are actually getting some well deserved recognition.....we don't all have to have fancy "journalism" degrees to have a logical brain and a great ability to communicate..it's nice to know that someone is listening to these trials with NO agenda in any direction.

katfish said...

Sprocket! Thanks for extending my "15 seconds". It really was nice to receive recognition from the msm....must have been a slow week for me to get front page though. LOL

Members of the msm who have been covering the hearings and mini trial(sentenced to 7 years for attacking correctional officers) have been very helpful and kind. I really appreciate that. :)

This article also garnered me a bit of attention in the courtroom. The day after this article appeared there was a hearing for a defense change of venue motion in Sheley's murder case. For the first time when naming media outlets who have covered this case(nearly 100 outlets received subpoenas)the defense and judge threw in blogs and bloggers. One of reporter "friends" said she just about broke her neck turning to get my reaction....she said I just kept scribbling away.(Believe me I heard them)

Perhaps the biggest compliment I have received was a couple months ago...when entering the courthouse one of the defense attorneys and I spoke some idle chitchat on the way in. He asked me, "You aren't going to put this in your blog are you?" I replied,"What? You read my blog? What do you think of it? Do you think I'm fair? I try to be fair." He hesitated and responded, "I think it's accurate." So maybe I don't always succeed in leaving my feelings out....LOL...but oh well...it is MY blog.

Thanks Shari! :)

donchais said...

Hearty congratulations katfish! Well deserved.

Dana said...

Sprocket, katfish, donchais and all the other dedicated trial bloggers are creating a new and respected genre of trial reporting that will continue to gain momentum. As long as there are dedicated people like yourselves who provide true, honest reporting, there will be people like myself who will continue to visit your blogs daily and avoid the sensationalism of both newspapers and tabloids.

Thank you all for your dedication!

Dana