My presentation at Hearst Media's Future of News event on 12/12/12

1. Trayvon Martin: A Story of
Media Escalation in 5 Acts
Media Escalation in 5 Acts
illustration by Lyla Duey | lyladuey.com

3. Trayvon Martin Media Ecosystem

4. Act I: Not a Story
Trigger: Feb 26—Trayvon Martin killed

5. Feb 27—MyFOXOrlando
broadcasts first local news
coverage
Mar 2—Miami Herald, in
an article later retracted for
errors, is first to publish
George Zimmerman,
Trayvon’s killer’s name
Mar 5—Trayvon’s parents
hire lawyer Benjamin
Crump, who starts working
pro bono to publicize
Trayvon’s case to the press
and civil rights activists

6. Act II: Building Pressure
Trigger: Mar 7—First national press (Reuters)

8. Mar 8—CBS Morning
News runs the story on TV,
then Huffington Post picks
it up and begins regular
coverage
Mar 7—Reuters publishes
first national news story
with quotes from Crump
suggesting racial profiling

9. Act III: Attention Skyrockets
Trigger: Mar 16—Police release 911 tapes

10. Mar 16—Police release
tapes of Zimmerman’s 911
calls on night of killing
Mar 21—Million Hoodie
March takes place in New
York City
Mar 22—Rally organized by
Rev. Al Sharpton, one of
Crump’s contacts, draws
thousands to demonstrate
for Zimmerman’s arrest in
Sanford, FL

11. Act IV: Political Agenda Wars
Trigger: Mar 23—Obama addresses the case

12. Mar 26—Trayvon’s family
deliver 2 million Change.org
petition signatures to local
law enforcement
Mar 28—Activists launch
campaign against ALEC, a
supporter of ‘Stand your
Ground’ laws, by leveraging
Trayvon’s death

14. Act IV: Political Agenda Wars
The Left against ALEC and ‘Stand your Ground’ laws

15. Act IV: Political Agenda Wars
The Right against blame-free portrayal of Trayvon

16. Act V: Tabloid Court Case
Trigger: Apr 11—Zimmerman charged and arrested

17. Apr 20—Drudge Report
links to story of a young,
black Chicagoan claiming to
beat up a white man out of
anger over Trayvon case
Apr 23—The Tallahassee
Democrat runs a flattering
piece on Crump, detailing
his publicity efforts, which
he republishes on his site

18. Trayvon Martin Media Ecosystem