(Lack of) Grace Under Pressure
There is a firestorm brewing around Nancy Grace, the host of CNN's Headline News. The controversy surrounds the suicide death of the mother of a missing child, who killed herself the day after being "ambushed" by Grace on her national television show.
The mother stated to Grace that her 2 year old child Trenton Duckett went missing one evening while in his bedroom. The child's father, who was also interviewed by Grace, indicated that he had submitted to a lie detector test and passed it. When asked by Grace if she had submitted to a lie detector test, the mother's answer was evasive. Smelling blood, Grace pressed the mother for specific details regarding where she had gone with her now missing son on the day in question. Again, the mother's answers were evasive. Grace's third-degree questioning of the mother continued on relentlessly.
The day after the interview was taped - and before it aired on national television - the mother of the missing child fatally shot herself. The mother's family blamed her suicide in large part on the stress she experienced while being grilled by Grace.
Now pundits and legal commentators are weighing in, with many critizing Grace's abrasive questioning and agreeing that she influenced the mother to commit suicide. It was not fair, some say, to invite the mother as a guest on her show and then proceed to cross-examine her as a potential suspect.
I have not been a big fan of Grace over the years. There have been times when her pro-prosecution, damn-the-defense tirades have sickened me. I've seen her twist and turn the facts in a case until they bear no resemblance to what actually occurred. During my time on CourtTV, I've heard some pretty negative things about Grace's penchant for ignoring the facts.
However, this is one situation where I am staunchly in Grace's corner. It is not Grace's fault that the mother crumbled like a house of cards under even the simplest of questions. Had Grace not followed up with tougher, harder hitting questions, she surely would have been labeled by her detractors as soft or ineffective. While the mother may - MAY - be innocent, certainly no one is more innocent than the missing child. Tough times mandate tough questions. Frankly speaking, the questions shouldn't be so tough for an innocent mother to handle.
As is the case with most people, Grace's biggest strength - her tenacity and legal acumen - is also her biggest weakness. By targeting one of her show's guests as a potential suspect, Grace brought to bear her considerable legal skills and experience in questioning. But by doing so, Grace did run the risk of appearing crass and unfair.
By not doing so, Grace would have missed out on an opportunity to get what all cross-examinations seek.
The truth.
And as it turns out, now that the mother has killed herself, the closest we may get to the truth could be hidden between the lines of the transcript from Grace's show.
The mother stated to Grace that her 2 year old child Trenton Duckett went missing one evening while in his bedroom. The child's father, who was also interviewed by Grace, indicated that he had submitted to a lie detector test and passed it. When asked by Grace if she had submitted to a lie detector test, the mother's answer was evasive. Smelling blood, Grace pressed the mother for specific details regarding where she had gone with her now missing son on the day in question. Again, the mother's answers were evasive. Grace's third-degree questioning of the mother continued on relentlessly.
The day after the interview was taped - and before it aired on national television - the mother of the missing child fatally shot herself. The mother's family blamed her suicide in large part on the stress she experienced while being grilled by Grace.
Now pundits and legal commentators are weighing in, with many critizing Grace's abrasive questioning and agreeing that she influenced the mother to commit suicide. It was not fair, some say, to invite the mother as a guest on her show and then proceed to cross-examine her as a potential suspect.
I have not been a big fan of Grace over the years. There have been times when her pro-prosecution, damn-the-defense tirades have sickened me. I've seen her twist and turn the facts in a case until they bear no resemblance to what actually occurred. During my time on CourtTV, I've heard some pretty negative things about Grace's penchant for ignoring the facts.
However, this is one situation where I am staunchly in Grace's corner. It is not Grace's fault that the mother crumbled like a house of cards under even the simplest of questions. Had Grace not followed up with tougher, harder hitting questions, she surely would have been labeled by her detractors as soft or ineffective. While the mother may - MAY - be innocent, certainly no one is more innocent than the missing child. Tough times mandate tough questions. Frankly speaking, the questions shouldn't be so tough for an innocent mother to handle.
As is the case with most people, Grace's biggest strength - her tenacity and legal acumen - is also her biggest weakness. By targeting one of her show's guests as a potential suspect, Grace brought to bear her considerable legal skills and experience in questioning. But by doing so, Grace did run the risk of appearing crass and unfair.
By not doing so, Grace would have missed out on an opportunity to get what all cross-examinations seek.
The truth.
And as it turns out, now that the mother has killed herself, the closest we may get to the truth could be hidden between the lines of the transcript from Grace's show.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Back to Blog