Media Roundup: Appearances

The media reports, webbed overnight and today, on the Conrad Black trial include a few features as well as what trial news there is:

1. A posting in "Legalbrief" to a Times Online article, summarizing a National Post interview that Conrad gave on the weekend, introduces it with the title "Conrad Black never considered plea bargain."

2. A Canadian Press report, as webbed by CBC News, recaps yesterday's trial news after mentioning that the jury will deliberate all day today.

3. Joe Warmington's latest trial-related column, as webbed by the Edmonton Sun, has picked up on the story about the Facebook group, the "Conrad Black Fan Club." After describing what he saw there, and recounting the Frank hoax, he notes that the bulk of the members seem to be college students...before disclosing that an identity verification of the creators of it is still in progress.

4. Both Conrad and Barbara Black get a mention in Liz Smith's latest gossip column, webbed by the New York Post. She calls them "extravagantly invisible." (This same column opens up with an item of note for historians, or end-of-era seekers. Ms. Smith passes on an obituary of the no-longer-current Count Bismarck, who died a bachelor and lived as a heroin addict, lover of alcohol and all-around dissipate.)

5. The Age of Australia has webbed a copy of a Bloomberg report on the state of the deliberations, which contains a review of the charges.

6. A report webbed by 680 News says that the trial lawyers have been called into the courtroom for a meeting, "to discuss how much money the former press baron may have to repay if he is found guilty of fraud." This part of the forfeiture hearing is to discuss the precise instructions to the jury, should any be needed.

7. Mary Vallis has also written a report on the meeting, as webbed by the Financial Post. The report notes that the final decision on whether or not to let the jury handle any forfeiture issues will probably not be decided until the verdict is announced.

8. A more detailed report, also webbed by 680 News, starts off with quotes from both of Conrad Black's chief co-counsels, Eddie Greenspan and Edward Genson. It then discusses the meeting and quotes Judge St. Eve's opening words, which suggest that she wanted today's meeting to be the final one. As of now, it looks like Judge St. Eve will decide the amount of forfeiture, if any. The judge also read notes into the record, all of which have been reported on already.

9. BNN aired a report from Amanda Lang on the meeting, aired at 1:50 PM ET. She said that there was some debate over the jury instruction, and that this last meeting may not be needed, as a case that Michael Schachter submitted suggested that the jury need only determine the "nexus" between the crime and the proceeds, and need not determine the specific amount. It was made clear in the meeting that forfeiture is not the same as restitution.

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Mark Steyn, in his latest entry in the Maclean's Conrad Black trial blog, starts off with a report about a British Muslim juror who was arrested for concealing an MP3 player in her hijab headscarf; he relates this incident to the deliberations in a somewhat curmudgeonly manner.