Media Roundup: Calm Then Storm

The overnight media reports on the Conrad Black Trial are still plentiful. Below is a list, including broadcast reports:

1. From the Guardian, Andrew Clark's report starts off with the most combative moment of the cross-examination of Mr. Radler; a summary of the direct testimony that was given yesterday morning is interlaced with details from the cross-examination.

2. The Independent's report begins with the testimony, given under direct examination, about a $5.5 million non-compete fee attached to the sale of the Mammoth Times of California, one presented as egregious by the prosecution while Mr. Radler was under direct examination. It quickly moves to the "eviscerating cross-examination," in which Eddie Greenspan called Mr. "Radler a liar more than 100 times." Also, it contains a quote from a 2002 E-mail from Conrad Black that described calling those non-compete payments bonuses as a "'conciliatory'" genture

3. A long article by Romina Maurino, webbed by CBC News, focuses on the cross-examination so far.

4. From CBC News: Morning, a report from Havard Gould, who reported that the cross-examination was “fierce.” Csr. Greenspan said that it was the cross-examination of his career. The most memorable part of it was Csr. Greenspan's repeated insistence that Mr. Radler is a liar, at the end of yesterday's session. But, Csr. Greenspan didn’t appear to have scored any decisive blows, as Radler was never “rattled,” only "discomfited." Conrad Black, though, visibly enjoyed Mr. Radler's discomfort. Testimony will be cut short today, ending in the early afternoon, and the trial will not be conducted tomorrow.

5. On his latest report, aired on CTV NewsNet just after 7:30 AM, David Akin concurred with Mr. Gould regarding the standoff at the end of the day. He also reported that the 15-minute-or-so line of questioning about the Bible was set off by Mr. Radler saying that he didn’t know whether or not he had sworn on a Bible. (He couldn’t remember.) Mr. Akin also said that the prosecution “asked” that defense make no more motions, and the judge agreed.

6. From the Scotsman, a report on yesterday's mistrial motion, and what set it off.

7. The National Post's blog "Posted" has a mention of the cross-examination, with a link to the relevant National Post article in it.

8. Paul Waldie of the Globe and Mail's article on the cross-examination part of yesterday's trial is entitled "Greenspan and Radler spar for hours." It reports that "Mr. Radler refused to give an inch. He denied giving misleading testimony and frequently challenged Mr. Greenspan's questions, calling one simplistic and saying at another point: 'You are putting words in my mouth.' During oneexchange over the wording in a document, Mr. Radler suggested that Mr. Greenspan was playing word games.... Mr. Radler's aggressiveness appeared to catch Mr. Greenspan off guard and the witness appeared to get the best of the Toronto lawyer a couple of times, prompting laughter from the audience."

9. BNN had an interview with Mr. Waldie, aired at about 8:25 AM ET. He reported that yesterday was "by far the best day of the trial" since its beginning. There should be more combativeness today. Mr. Greenspan should pounce on Mr. Radler's memory lapses and confront him with the defense's theory that Mr. Radler had lots of independence during the days that Mr. Black and he were running Hollinger International. Court will sit only for a half-day today. Csr. Greenspan will also pounce on Mr. Radler's memory lapses about the events covered by the indictment.

10. A report from CTV News is a three-parter. The first part recounts the cross-examination; the second part recounts the highlights of Mr. Radler’s testimony yesterday morning under direct examination; and the third describes "Black's musings" in a September 2002 E-mail.

11. An updated interview with Mr. Akin, aired on CTV NewsNet at about 8:35 AM, had him recounting the early days of Mr. Black's and Mr. Radler's partnership from the defense's point of view. Mr. Akin mentioned that famous 1969 article, by the "'young Conrad Black'," praising Lyndon Johnson which was read into the Congressional Record. It was hinted by Csr. Greenspan that the luxuries enjoyed by Mr. Black were largely business expenses that grew out of the growth path of Hollinger.

12. The New York Times has the latest article from Richard Siklos, entitled "Defense Attacks Credibility of Black’s Former Associate," which recaps all of Mr. Radler's testimony yesterday. On page 2, it mentions the fact that Mr. Black's membership in the Bilderberg Group was instrumental in his succesful (and quite profitable) acquisition of the Daily Telegraph. It ends with new quotes from Mr. Black's E-mails.

13. An article by David Litterick of that same Daily Telegraph has been webbed by the New York Sun. The bulk of it quotes copiously from the "golden goose" E-mail introduced in court yesterday, and it ends with a summary of Mr. Radler's testimony, under direct examination, about the Mammoth Times and the non-compete payments being disguised bonuses.

14. The rejection of the midtrial motion rated a one-paragraph mention in today's Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Daily Briefing"

15. An excerpt from Ms. Maurino's latest report, focusing on the "script" part of the cross-examination, has been webbed by the Hamilton Spectator. CBC News's version start off with, "Conrad Black's former deputy David Radler is in for a second day of gruelling cross-examination by defence lawyers,..."

16. The Washington Post mentions the denied motion in its business-briefs report.

17. The latest update from CBC News reporter Havard Gould, as aired on CBC Newsworld as of approx. 9:10 AM ET, started off with the "question of the day": what will Csr. Greenspan try next? Yesterday’s cross-examination wasn’t that effective. David Radler’s endure-it-out strategy was compared to Muhammad Ali’s "rope-a-dope" technique, that wears out his opponent, through taking blows on the forearms (used to shield the head) without being reeled or seriously hurt. It's expected that the same document-driven discrediting maneuver that worked for several other prosecution witnesses will be tried on Mr. Radler.

18. Peter Worthington's latest trial column, webbed by the Calgary Sun, has specifics on the inconsistency between this week's testimony by Mr. Radler under direct and his earlier testimony, in a 2002 B.C. tribunal: "Greenspan reminded him of his testimony under oath at a trial in B.C. where he swore he and Conrad owned equal shares in the Horizon company... In sworn testimony in Chicago, he gave different figures."

19. Theresa Tedesco's latest, webbed by the National Post and entitled "Radler parries lawyer's thrusts," begins with: "'You're killing me here," blurted the assistant U.S. attorney in jest as his star witness gave a rambling answer to an obvious question.... At the time, Mr. Sussman's exasperated outburst elicited laughs from the jury and those packed into Judge Amy St. Eve's courtroom. But by the end of the day, those words would take on a more cynical resonance in the hands of Edward Greenspan, and all Mr. Sussman could do was sit there with his head in his hands...." On Page 2, it mentions the introduction of "[t]he intended trap," a map that Csr. Greenspan is using to illustrate the defense's co-chief theory, intended to implicate Mr. Radler alone for any illegal transactions.

20. A more recent report from Mr. Akin disclosed that a lot of lawyers are filing into the courtroom this morning. Today’s questions will draw upon the accumulated paper trial, but will probably not continue with the fact that Mr. Radler was a liar. The latter was quite thoroughly covered yesterday. Mr. Radler will definitely be on the stand next week. Csr. Greenspan will continue his cross-examination Monday, and the three other counselors for the other three defendants are yet to hav their crack at Mr. Radler yet.

21. Janet Whitman of the New York Post begins her report with "Conrad Black and his turncoat deputy David Radler both had their turns to squirm yesterday at the dethroned press baron's fraud trial." She further reports that Mr. Black's embarrassment resulted from the introduction of his golden-goose E-mail, from which she quotes, into court.

22. The Toronto Star's Jennifer Wells is back, with a report that describes Mr. Radler as "consistently combative and equivocating" while being cross-examined. She notes that "Eddie Greenspan's star turn in what he has described as a 'witches of Salem environment,' by which he meant the lustful pursuit of American white-collar miscreants, and yesterday, he had his chance to perform before the dragon slayer himself, U.S. attorney Patrick Fitzgerald." Later, though, she observes that Csr. Greenspan's exposure of Mr. Radler as a liar fizzled.

23. Havard Gould, on CBC News: Morning, had a morning quote from Mr. Black, given at about 10 AM ET, that there were “some entertaining moments” yesterday. He delivered the line after reporters insisted that he comment, prior to he refusing twice to do so in the same words he had used while walking out of the court yesterday afternoon.

24. The Denver Post has webbed a brief summary by Mike Robinson, entitled "Fraud prosecutors cite media mogul's rationale for billing."

25. Mary Vallis' report, webbed by the Edmonton Journal, focuses on Csr. Greenspan rubbing in the fact that Mr. Radler had lied.

26. The Daily Herald's report, entitled "Black’s attorney peppers former publisher," begins with the same focus, before recapping Mr. Radler's testimony under direct examination.

27. The Chicago Sun-Times' Mary Wisniewski's latest report is entitled "Radler admits lying to his own lawyers."

28. Mr. Akin's 10:30 AM update, also broadcast on CTV NewsNet, reports that court has started, and Csr. Greenspan has restarted his questioning. He's continuing with the same theme he ended with yesterday, that Radler is a liar. Evidently, he wants to reinforce the point, as it's already been quite established. He asked questions about how Mr. Radler acts when he lies. Csr. Greenspan is less tense this morning, and Mr. Radler is answering evenly. There were no quotable comments from defense counsels this morning, unlike yesterday morning. The entire cross-examination, from counselors for all four defendants, might last to Wednesday.

29. And finally, a webbed report from CTV News, entitled "Radler to face 2nd day of grilling in Black trial," which has excerpts from Mr. Akin's morning reports. It has a broadband link a report by Mr. Akin, and another one to an interview with Tom Bower, author of Conrad & Lady Black: Dancing On The Edge.

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From the Website "Watching The Watchers," a comment on that same 2002 E-mail, which concludes that Mr. Black is very much a creature of privilege, and not an entrepreneur-hero in the mold of Ayn Rand's protagonists.

There's also a "Who's Afraid Of?..." column, webbed yesterday in Spiked Online, which starts with a recounting of Andrew Clark's article about Barbara Black's 60th birthday party, then repeats all the criticism of her lifestyle, character and points of view, and ends with a note that the criticism may have gone a little too far in her case.