Drew Peterson’s lawyer blogs about trial for Sun-Times
Joseph “The Shark” Lopez, one of Drew Peterson’s lawyers, is blogging about the former cop’s murder trial for the Sun-Times.
Drew Peterson
“He approached us,” Sun-Times editor-in-chief Jim Kirk tells the Chicago Reader’s Michael Miner. “Don’t know what kind of permission he received from Peterson, but I’m assuming he got it. We debated internally whether there were reasons not to run a blog from him, and at the end of the day we couldn’t come up with one. Obviously we read it carefully and would reconsider if we thought he were about to cross any lines.”
Chicago press critic Steve Rhodes is appalled:
Is there any concern by the Sun-Times that they are being used by a defense lawyer who would love to influence the jury?
Does the Sun-Times believe they are contributing in any way to the pursuit of justice – or were their internal discussion focused more on page views?
It’s just horrid.
Rhodes has more questions: “Does the Sun-Times get to edit Lopez’s posts? Or his slant considered more valuable to readers than a proper vetting? Does it question Lopez’s characterizations the way an editor would with a reporter? Does the Sun-Times ever ask Lopez what he’s holding back?”
* Is this trial a joke? (Chicago Reader)
* Rhodes blasts Sun-Times for “Shark” blog (beachwoodreporter.com)
* Read Lopez’s “Swimming with the Shark” blog (suntimes.com)
* Earlier: “Shark” joins Peterson defense team amid shakeup (CNN)
