Like other media in the area, the site’s coverage of the case has dovetailed with the release of police information. The site’s first piece on the shooting appeared on February 29th, three days after Martin was killed. Longmore explains the delay: “Sanford Police Department first alerted on the shooting on February 26th. There were no names of the victim or shooter. On February 27th, Sanford PD sent the names and ages and described Martin as a black male and Zimmerman as a white male. We wrote back on Feb 27, asking the police, ‘Has George Zimmerman been charged yet? And if so, has he been booked?’” By February 29th, the police responded to Longmore’s requests with this: “He has not been charged with a crime as the investigation continues”; it was then that West Orlando News Online began its coverage. A week went by before the site posted its next update, on March 8th.
Gillian Nanton, senior editor at West Orlando News Online, says being a smaller outlet can be a challenge for access. “It’s problematic when the town and police department tend to defer to the big networks, like ABC and The New York Times. These large networks have had the best access and been given priority,” writes Nanton over e-mail. “Of course, it’s a small police department and they are overwhelmed. We do not detect any intentional blockage.”
“We have had to prioritize in terms of briefings, conferences, marches and rallies that have been covered,” writes Nanton. “We have stuck to covering the larger events and more significant briefings.” She adds that “the story has dominated locally, since it gained a life of its own, and has overshadowed local government elections.”
As the Martin case continues to unfold, Longmore says they will continue their coverage, though “at this point it’s dribbles and drabbles of information,” says Longmore. “At the end of the day, we’re waiting to hear what the grand jury is going to do.”
For anyone that is interested....
I am an audio guy..
I took the 911 call with the most audio informatiion regarding screams, compressed it, ran it at half speed and pitch corected it 100 percent.. even though it runs slower (just a tenth over half speed) anyone with an ear for music can tell not a note has been changed.. Digital affords you this luxury. In the analog days we had to physically slow the tape/medium down and you lose pitch and clarity.
Anyway, what I find most interesting is the ghastly scream at about 1:12 right after the final shot.\.
THIS AUDIO IS NOT ENHANCED per sey.. not like enhancing a photo.. the only enhancing has been to adust volume levels so you don't hurt your ear listening to everything at relative volume levels.
There are a few swirling artifacts in this copy because I had to compres the wav file to a 128 kbps mp3 to fit on my page so you had a player to hear it on.. These artifacts are slight and will not distract.
The 911 call as you have never heard it before, draw your own conclusions. Listen for the scream after the shot.
http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=11548279
Again, draw your own conclusions, I am not here to change any minds tonight. This exorsize is just a way to access the call and hear things you would not of just listening to the raw recording.
#1 Posted by 333maxwell, CJR on Tue 3 Apr 2012 at 10:55 AM
"For Longmore, the mainstream media’s coverage of the Martin case has verged on irresponsible. Longmore specifically objects to the insinuation that Martin instigated the shooting."
Are they insinuating that Martin instigated the shooting, or are they merely admitting that Zimmerman's story could conceivably be true?
"From the media’s focus on the marijuana found on Martin and his subsequent suspension from school, to the reports that Martin hit Zimmerman first, Longmore feels the coverage skirts the reality of this situation."
Well, if they're going to go into Zimmerman's background to see whether there are any clues to suggest he might be lying about what happened, it's only fair to look for clues to suggest his story might be true.
“`What they fail to mention is that this kid was reacting to Zimmerman, he initiated it. That’s always subtly left out,' says Longmore."
They did include that in the story. But it's not clear whether Zimmerman had done anything that justified banging his head on the concrete (if that were indeed what happened).
#2 Posted by fsilber, CJR on Tue 10 Apr 2012 at 10:17 AM