Media Roundup: She Said He Said

As the last day of week 4 of the Conrad Black trial commences, the reports about the videotaped deposition, shown yesterday, have details on the cross-examination of Darren Sukonick:

1. From an AP report webbed by the Belleville News-Democrat, an admission from Csr. Sukonick that he suggested non-compete payments for individuals in sales of newspaper properties subsequent to the Can-West deal.

2. Theresa Tedesco of the National Post reports on the "bad day" Csr. Sukonick had, in which defense counsel for Peter Atkinson, Michael Schachter, got Csr. Sukonick to admit not only to that suggestion he made, but also that he "acknowledged that Torys advised Hollinger International that it was not necessary for the company to publicly disclose the controversial $50-million in non-competes from the CanWest deal in its regulatory filings to shareholders." Ms. Tedesco mentions in passing that Csr. Schachter was one of the prosecutors of Martha Stewart, for insider trading. [An excerpt from this article has been posted by LawFuel.com.]

3. The New York Times has a report on the testimony Csr. Sukonick gave to the prosecution before the cross-examination began.

4. From CANOE Money, a note that testimony from lawyer Gulliaume Hecketsweiler is expected today.

5. A report from the Boston Globe also recounts Csr. Sukonick's testimony under direct examination.

6. The Globe and Mail has Paul Waldie's latest, which sums up both the testimony given under direct and Csr. Schachter's part of the cross-examination. Mr. Waldie notes that Csr. Schachter claimed that Csr. Sukonick had not been truthful, and that Csr. Sukonick denied that claim; he also notes that there are several hours to go before the taped testimony ends.

7. Peter Worthington is back on the Conrad Black trial beat, with the observation that the trial has turned into quite the "snoozer." Now that the "lust for Conrad's blood" has abated from Fleet Street, there are actually seats in the courtroom available, and the trial's atmosphere is more, well, businesslike.

8. From the New York Post, Janet Whitman has a brief report on Csr. Sukonick's testimony that was elicited by Julie Ruder, comparing it to the earlier Bora Bora testimony.

9. The Calgary Sun has a quick re-cap of the testimony given under direct examination.

10. Rick Westhead of the Toronto Star solicited the advice of an outside expert for assessing Conrad Black's character...a graphologist. This kind of expert may soon have a day in the sun in Human Resources departments, according to Mr. Westhead.

11. From Peter Brieger, as webbed by the Montreal Gazette, a report that focuses upon a "bombshell" elicited by Csr. Schachter's cross-examination. It begins with: "A lawyer at one of Canada's top law firms advised client Hollinger International to make the controversial payments that may have landed Conrad Black and his former colleagues in a Chicago courtroom, the media baron's fraud trial heard yesterday."

12. The Chicago Sun-Times' Mary Wisniewski re-caps Csr. Sukonick's testimony delivered under both direct and cross so far, and notes that "one white female juror" has been dismissed, leaving 17 jurors and alternates.

13. Another report from the Globe and Mail brings up the possibility, feared by another defense counsel, Gus Newman, as well as by Csr. Schachter, that juror boredom is turning into juror confusion, with the risk that their clients may be convicted on the wrong charges; "they cited several instances in which prosecutors have questioned witnesses about information that was not disclosed in documents sent to shareholders. The lawyers noted that the defendants have not been charged with issuing false reports but they are worried the jury might convict their clients on that basis." [There's already four comments on it.]

14. A third Globe report, also by Paul Waldie, has a profile on a minor but pivotal prosecution witness, Vancouver accountant Barry Tyner.

15. The Sydney Morning Herald has webbed a Reuters report, covering both the direct-and cross-examination (so far) of Csr. Sukonick.

16. From the Chicago Tribune, a recap of Wednesday's testimony by Rudolph Bush.

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Two comments from media blogs today: Peter Brieger, on the "Black Board," reports upon an alarming false alarm in the Dirkson building, and Mark Steyn publicly answers an E-mail from a critic who is convinced that David Radler has seen the light and turned a new leaf.