Nov 16, 2007 5:30 pm US/Central
Media Maelstrom Surrounds Peterson Case
Bizarre Case Of Former Police Sergeant And The Disappearance Of His Wife, Exhumation Of Ex-Wife Has Fascinated Public
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
The odd case of Drew Peterson, whose fourth wife is missing and whose third wife's death is being reexamined, is capturing headlines coast-to-coast.
As CBS 2's Jim Williams reports, the story is fascinating for many. So much so, that sometimes we have to be reminded that this is news. The Peterson story has all the elements of a made-for-television movie. All of it has captured the attention of the nation. National news organizations have camped out in front of the Peterson home.
This week, Drew Peterson flew to New York and went on NBC's "Today" show, where he was interviewed in two segments by Matt Lauer.
Every single person CBS 2 randomly stopped on State Street knew the Peterson story. Just about all called the coverage excessive, but they admitted watching.
"Yeah, it's a little too much, but I do want to know," said one woman.
Chicago "Sun-Times" columnist and DePaul University journalism professor Laura Washington explained why she thinks so many people are interested in coverage of the case.
"It's the car wreck mentality," she said. "You're fascinated by sex, crime, murder, by mystery."
Washington says it was a big topic when she had dinner with several well-educated women.
"They also complained about the media coverage but they knew all the details, so they are paying attention to the media coverage," she said.
Like Washington, Northwestern University journalism professor Donna Leff believes news organizations should put the story in context, and include the plight of other women.
"If you go to a battered wives', battered women's shelter, you would probably hear a lot of these stories... most of them don't have happy endings," Leff said.
This kind of media attention may be unusual for a story in the Chicago area, but there have many others across the country including those of OJ Simpson, Anna Nicole Smith, and Lacy Peterson in San Francisco. Today's 24-hour news cycle blankets them all, including the one in Bolingbrook.
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