‘Newsweek’ Gets Banned From James Holmes Trial: Magazine Gives Away Juror Identity
Newsweek will no longer be covering the James Holmes theater shooting trial in person. The magazine was banned after it either knowingly or unknowingly violated the judge’s orders. According to USA Today, Judge Carlos Samour had laid down guidelines for the James Holmes trial to protect the privacy of the jury.
For instance, jurors were given secure parking and Samour insisted that no one speak to them. Newsweek didn’t exactly get up close and personal with the group, but the magazine did commit a major faux pas. On July 16, the magazine ran a story about the James Holmes trial during which the writer described the reaction of one of the jury members.
That wouldn’t be so problematic for Newsweek, if the juror’s actual name was used. Even worse, the person’s identity was sent out as part of the tweet that accompanied the story. When the juror learned what Newsweek had done, he informed Judge Samour on Wednesday.
Newsweek prints juror’s name, banned from theater shooting courtroom http://t.co/ZlPGeBWrGp
— Good Day Colorado (@GoodDayCO) July 22, 2015
Newsweek homepage editor Grant Burningham told USA Today, “The juror was identified in the story initially. A court officer brought it to our reporter’s attention, and we removed it early Friday morning.” Unfortunately, the Newsweek team forgot to take care of the tweet that accompanied the original story.
Judge Samour said that it was “really disappointing that [the mistake] happened” at all and that Newsweek “should know better”. James Holmes’ defense team wanted Newsweek found in contempt of court. In addition, his lawyers demanded an investigation into how the magazine was able to identify the foreman. The judge denied their requests.
He instead banned Newsweek from the courthouse for the remainder of the trial. Birningham said that Newsweek court reporters were made aware of the ban and that no plans were made to be in attendance.
Newsweek prints juror’s name, banned from theater shooting courtroom http://t.co/ZlPGeBWrGp
— Good Day Colorado (@GoodDayCO) July 22, 2015
The situation is certainly an embarrassment for Newsweek, which has since apologized for publishing the juror’s identity. Newsweek managing editor Kira Bindrim said on Twitter that the judge took “the appropriate action”.
We deserved that ban, shaming, and Daily Beast confusion. Big fat unfortunate mistakes were made & we regret them. #TheaterTrial
— Kira Bindrim (@KiraBind) July 22, 2015
The jury began its deliberations on July 16 after he was convicted on 165 counts, including first-degree murder. Prosecutors are pushing for the death penalty, but there’s a chance Holmes could be hit with a life sentence instead.
Is it right that Newsweek was banned from the James Holmes trial? Should there have been an investigation? Share your thoughts below!
[Image Credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images]
