George Zimmerman trial: jury selection in the age of social media
During the first week of jury selection for one of the most public trials in recent US history, two reporters shed light on the process
The State of Florida v George Zimmerman promises to be one of the most high-profile trials of the decade. Zimmerman, 29, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder of unnarmed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. The incidents surrounding the trial created a contentious national dialogue that dominated the news agenda for weeks.
National attention in the case renewed this week as the lengthy jury selection process began. The Florida courtroom's stands are overwhelmed with media, who have spent the past five days watching as lawyers question potential jurors one-by-one to determine whether they can fit into an impartial jury.
It is a drawn-out process, out of which some levity has been extracted by reporters tweeting 140-character portraits of the jurors.
The Tampa Bay Times' Ben Montgomery and The Washington Post's Dan Zak have been posting updates from the courtroom all week ?�noting the quirks of people like potential juror B37 ?�who said she was too busy taking care of the animals in her household to pay attention to the news.
"You're getting a tantalizing glimpse of the uniqueness of their lives and as a journalist you want to ask a bunch of follow-up questions," said Zak, who wrote an article about the jurors on Thursday.
Both reporters were fascinated with B37, but also the numerous people who claim not to follow the news or only get news through Facebook.
"They are looking for folks who are blank slates, and it's such a huge story that everyone has been exposed," said Montgomery. "So the people who rise to the top, who are the best potential jurors, haven't been exposed, haven't formed opinions. My primary question is: are those the people we want trying to deal with a bunch of facts in a very important case like this."
Montgomery has lived in Florida ? "the best damn news state in the country" ? since June 2005. But he thinks the mix of animal lovers and other quirky characters is not strictly Floridian. "I think you could find folks like this anywhere, probably."
He too is working on a story about the jury selection process, and he was combing through books and Mark Twain quotes on the topic when he spoke to the Guardian.
"I tend to think the idea of fair and balanced is amiss ? you never achieve that ? but there's something beautiful about putting your future in the hands of people, of normal citizens, " Montgomery said.
The Seminole County court system randomly selected 500 residents to be potential jurors. That group was first narrowed down through a written questionnaire. Those remaining face questioning until the group is narrowed down to six jurors and four alternates.
Attorneys are concerned that some jurors are "stealth jurors" ? those who answer questions hoping to get on the jury to swing the case the way they want it to go. Potential Juror 22 was removed after the judge received a copy of Facebook post that showed Juror 22 had some very strong opinions about the case.
"You're never going to find a completely unskewed jury or a jury that has no preconceived notions," said Zak. "The issue is is that juror capable of suspending those biases and judging only on the facts that are presented in this case."
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/us-news-blog/2013/jun/14/george-zimmerman-jury-selection-twitter
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