Review: Trial By Media

Release date: May 11, 2020
Running time: 6 Episode Mini Series - 1 Hour Each
Starring: George Clooney, Jeffrey Toobin, Sarah Sheppard

By executive producers George Clooney and Jeffery Toobin comes Trial by Media. This documentary mini series brings a fresh new perspective into past cases that were heavily influenced by the media. Taking 6 iconic cases and giving each case one episode, this series explores and reflects on these stories.  This makes for some interesting television given how dramatic and memorable each of the trials were.  Most of these cases, and the influence by its media and television coverage, helped shape our common understanding of the legal process and even influenced what media coverage and justice look like today.

The series features cases reaching across different areas of the law including the unforgettable Jenny Jones made-for-Court TV murder trials, the sensational story of Rod Blagojevich’s political fall, and the case of Amadou Diallo, an unarmed African immigrant who was shot 41 times by police in New York City.  These high profile cases, with new analysis and insights, should keep you interested even if you are already very familiar with the stories.  You do not have to be a legal expert to enjoy, understand, and breakdown each of the cases that this limited series highlights.

What I liked about this series is that it highlighted 6 cases that are known but not commonly discussed.  Yet each of these cases were critical and led to pivotal changes in the justice system today.  I think it is important to bring that type of attention to these cases in this day and age.  It is important to look back at our past to see how we arrived at what many believe to be a broken and slanted legal justice system.  I also liked how each and every case was drastically different.  Sure the media played a part in each of them, but each time the media influenced the cast in different ways, with different results and different tones.  Additionally, this series gives viewers a crime drama fix.  Not only does it use original footage from the trials and media coverage, but it also augments that with current testimony and analysis from experts and others involved in the trials.  

Trial By Media provides viewers with a program that is equally entertaining and informative, providing a true crime documentary that highlights the social, cultural, and historical relevance of these cases.


Watch it.