Anderson Cooper's "AC360" show found itself in the middle of the Casey Anthony trial drama this week when the Anthony family attorney told CNN national correspondent Gary Tuchman that George and Cindy Anthony, the parents of Casey, did not think their daughter was innocent.
After suggesting yesterday that his remarks had been taken out of context, attorney Mark Lippman came on "AC360" last night in what he described as an attempt to clarify his remarks.
I think cable TV -- even at the most responsible end of the spectrum -- is a tricky place for attorneys to be making statements about guilt and innocence. And that is particularly true when the 'not innocent' and 'not guilty' are being parsed inside and outside the courtroom the way they are in this case.
But the relationship between media and the legal system has always been a complicated and wild one when a trial catches the public imagination the way this one has. And that certainly pre-dates 24/7 cable news channels.