Ups and Downs in FOX Coverage of Baltimore Boat Capsizing
FOX News covered the Baltimore water taxi capsizing during most of the 5pm hour, but the tendency to speculate resulted in some embarrassing slip-ups. FOX's best move was pulling up WJZ's copper live shot immediately. The very raw video was compelling as the chopper flew toward the scene. Capt. Mike Perry obviously had no idea his shot was live nationwide. Paige Hopkins and Gregg Jarrett talked over the pictures. "A lot of people were wearing heavy jackets on this day, boots perhaps," Jarrett said. Uh, Gregg: I'm 15 minutes from the harbor, and it's 70 degrees outside. I'm wearing shorts. Greg Kelly was live in the DC bureau: "This same storm hit DC around 1pm on my way to work," Greg with one g said. Now c'mon. You know that was a completely different storm. You really think it took the storm 180 minutes to travel up the BW Parkway? Rita and Geraldo came on set to share their memories of the harbor; Rivera called it a "catastrophe"... 5:57:49 PM

Martha Verdict: "It was personal downfall as public theater"
Such perfect prose in the Post: "Martha Stewart, Act 2: The conviction. It rolls off the tongue like a surreal episode of "Law & Order," which is what it felt like Friday at Foley Square in Lower Manhattan where a throng of media and ordinary people mobbed the steps of U.S. District Court and transformed that stately, columned backdrop into an America-style public spectacle yet again. It was personal downfall as public theater, complete with tents for the media, towering satellite dishes, and stage lights for the key players to march forth and deliver monologues." 11:48:55 AM

Martha Verdict: Screen Grabs of the Scarves
For those of you (like me) who weren't tuned in at 3pm yesterday, Free Republic has screen captures of the scarves and signs seen on cable when the verdict came. "I didn't see ANY of that specticle repeated on the evening news, but I found THAT part of it just as amazing as the story itself!," one post said. 11:41:26 AM

Martha Verdict: Media in Martha's Backyard
WestportNOW, "Westport's 24/7 News & Information Source" (great idea, great site) is reporting on the media's presence in Martha's hometown. "Photographers and camera crews gathered outside Stewart's Turkey Hill Road South home on chances that she would return there this evening. They found a private security guard in a red SUV sitting in her driveway," this article says. They also report on CNN's "live broadcast from the aisle of Oscar's Deli on Main Street" this morning. I wish I had this site in my town... 11:40:08 AM

Martha Verdict: "Lowest of low-tech methods" Used to Report Decision
Here's how the New York Times describes the media's Martha verdict reaction: "With cellphones, pagers, BlackBerry's and all other electronic devices banned from the courtroom where a jury was deciding Martha Stewart's fate yesterday, television news organizations were reduced to the lowest of low-tech methods to report a verdict: cardboard and wool...When the jury's verdict came down yesterday just after 3 p.m. the color-coded semaphore crowd came streaming out of the courtroom holding up signs like limo drivers looking for arrivals at the airport, or waving scarves like rabid football fans." 1:16:41 AM

Martha Verdict: Was the News Still 'Breaking' After the Sun Set?
The MSNBC MSN folks applaud their favorite channel for scrapping the "Flash News" banner for "Breaking News" during Martha coverage. "Now hopefully they will use the Breaking News banner for only the first 3 hours of coverage next time," someone says, and points out that when Dan Abrams signed off four hours after the news broke, it was still "breaking"... 1:15:39 AM

Martha Verdict: "Small bit of confusion" Resulted in Misinformation
The AP has more on how CNBC and MSNBC missed the initial verdict news. "In the chaotic rush to report the Martha Stewart verdict live on television Friday, at least two networks initially called it wrong and had to quickly correct themselves," David Bauder writes. CNBC rep David Friend said it was chaotic. Mike Huckman "had a hard time seeing the verdict as it was coming out of the courthouse." MSNBC spokesman Jeremy Gaines: "I don't know why it was wrong. It was very loud and it was quite chaotic. There was a small bit of confusion and we corrected it immediately." 1:15:12 AM

Martha Verdict: Haven't News Orgs Learned Their Lesson?
A comment at TVSpy: "It's amazing that after all these years, the 2000 elections screw ups and the 2000 election court decision screw ups that the news [organizations] still think about being first with the news rather than waiting that extra 10 seconds to organize and get it right." 1:10:33 AM

Martha Verdict: Scarfs and Placards Declare "Guilty"
Digital Spy explains how the Martha verdict news came down: "In a media frenzy, reporters some networks dashed out of the courthouse waving red-coloured scarves and placards indicating a guilty verdict. However, a single green placard - a colour presumably identifying a not guility verdict - was held up, and was apparently enough to lead cable networks CNBC and MSNBC to get the initial reports wrong...CNN had quite an elaborate system going. According to the AP, four separate staff producers were assigned to listen to the verdicts for each count against Stewart. These four then ran outside and telephoned another producer, who in turn related the information into reporter Mary Snow's earpiece." 12:47:42 AM