Journalists reviewed death penalty cases in Alabama, Georgia, Mississioopi, and Virginia, finding weak defense. In the penalty phase of trial, "defense lawyers gave jurors little or no evdence to help them decide whether the accused should live or die." Moreover, appeals courts often "ducked ... Supreme Court directives about the importance of good defense counsel." The article points to very low state funding of death penalty defense as the chief cause of the poor representation. Stephen Henderson, Defense often inadequate in 4 death-penalty states, review finds, Seattle Times, Jan. 22, 2007.
The study was a project of McClatchy Newspapers, a group I hadn't heard of. It turns out that the McClatchy Company is the second-larges newspaper company in the U.S. Its purchase of the Knight Ridder chain last summer moved it into that high spot in the rankings. Its newspaper holdings include papers serving small markets (e.g., the Ledger-Enquirer in Columbus, GA) and big cities (e.g., the Miami Herald).
Here in the Northwest, McClatchy papers include the Bellingham Herald, the Idaho Statesman, the News Tribune, the Olympian, and the Tri-City Herald. And McClatchy owns 49.5% of the Seattle Times. The Seattle Times Company publishes the Issaquah Press, Newcastle News, Sammamish Review, the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, and the Yakima Herald-Republic. So McClatchy has a lot of coverage around here!
The Times prides itself on being family-owned, but Knight Ridder had a minority interest in the paper since 1928 -- and that interest went to McClatchy. Since the Blethen family has a majority of shares and hence of board members, the control is still in the family's hands. The family sometimes made decisions over Knigh Ridder's objections. See article.
Thanks: Mary Hotchkiss.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Newspaper Study of Death Penalty Cases
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I read your great blogs and thought you may be interested in this story. This Book Changed my mind about the Death Penalty. I feel the more people know about these issues maybe some things will change. At one time I wrote this about the book I read.... Who And Where Is Dennis Fritz, You may say after reading John Grisham's Wonderful Book "The Innocent man", Grisham's First non-fiction book. The Other Innocent Man hardly mentioned in "The Innocent Man" has his own compelling and fascinating story to tell in "Journey Toward Justice". John Grisham endorsed Dennis Fritz's Book on the Front Cover. Dennis Fritz wrote his Book Published by Seven Locks Press, to bring awareness about False Convictions, and The Death Penalty. "Journey Toward Justice" is a testimony to the Triumph of the Human Spirit and is a Stunning and Shocking Memoir. Dennis Fritz was wrongfully convicted of murder after a swift trail. The only thing that saved him from the Death Penalty was a lone vote from a juror. "The Innocent Man" by John Grisham is all about Ronnie Williamson, Dennis Fritz's was his co-defendant. Ronnie Williamson was sentenced to the Death Penalty. Both were exonerated after spending 12 years in prison. Both Freed by a simple DNA test, The real killer was one of the Prosecution's Key Witness. John Grisham's "The Innocent Man" tells half the story. Dennis Fritz's Story needs to be heard. Read about how he wrote hundreds of letters and appellate briefs in his own defense and immersed himself in an intense study of law. He was a school teacher and a ordinary man from Ada Oklahoma, whose wife was brutally murdered in 1975. On May 8, 1987 while raising his young daughter alone, he was put under arrest and on his way to jail on charges of rape and murder. Since then, it has been a long hard road filled with twist and turns. Dennis Fritz is now on his "Journey Toward Justice". He never blamed the Lord and solely relied on his faith in God to make it through. He waited for God's time and never gave up.
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