Media Roundup: Inferences

The media reports, webbed overnight and today, on the Conrad Black trial consist of two opinion pieces, a profile and three features on what legal-related wrangles may lie ahead for Conrad Black:

1. Peter Worthington's latest column, as webbed by the Ottawa Sun, begins by describing the typical courtroom routines, but then turns to a shift by Judge St. Eve over the course of the trial: taking the defense's side on objections with greater frequency as the trial wore on. He also notes the shift of the prosecution's presentation of its case.

2. A Calgary Sun columnist, Ezra Levant, starts off by noting the class of the jury and its connection to the class-envy card played repeatedly by the prosecution. He then makes the point that this case is politicized because of the political ambitions of Patrick J. Fitzgerald. According to Mr. Levant, Csr. Fitzgerald is "clearly preparing for his future campaign for governor.... Fitzgerald's hunger for a big-name conviction, combined with the unlimited budget and manpower of a government prosecutor, combined with a disintegrating jury system, combined with overreaching and complex new U.S. securities laws puts any businessman, no matter how ethical, at a disadvantage.... The charges are the criminalization of the world of business -- taking it out of the hands of shareholders and giving it to the police."

3. A profile, webbed by the Sunday Express, on the troubles Conrad Black is now facing contains this description of him: "The steely, defiant expression that the immaculately dressed multi-millionaire has shown to the world throughout the trial has finally given way to signs of stress and anxiety.... As he stepped into a cab outside the Ritz Carlton last week, he suddenly looked careworn and vulnerable." The second part of the profile contains a discussion of the other legal troubles that Conrad faces.

4. Those troubles are the subject of the first part of a feature by Andrew Stern of Reuters, entitled "Conrad Black's legal fights far from over." One mentioned early on in it is the right of Hollinger Int'l to demand recoupment of the defense costs for his criminal trial if he's found guilty. Page 2 starts off a recap of what the jurors have asked for, and the report ends with the usual expert analysis and forecasting.

5. WANDtv.com has webbed an Associated Press item which discusses the heart of the charges: the suspicious non-compete payments. "Los Angeles attorney Jeff Riffer says non-competes are common but two things stand out about them in this case: their huge size and the fact that payments went to individual executives."

6. Canada East has webbed a Canadian Press report by Romina Maurino that discusses what kind of jail Conrad Black would be sent to if convicted; the jailhouse that would get him would not be an American "Club Fed." Near its end, it notes that the most likely way he would regain his Canadian citizenship is though his wife, Barbara, who still is a citizen of Canada.

7. A more in-depth AP report has been webbed by Forbes.com. Several experts are quoted therein, and the overall theme is that the Conrad Black case is part of a broader crackdown on executives who abuse their position to the shareholders' detriment.\

8. A recap of the deliberations so far by Andrew Clark of the Guardian begins with: "The fallen press baron Conrad Black is enduring a frustrating wait to hear his fate from jurors who are displaying minimal urgency in reaching a verdict on criminal charges which could condemn him to spend his dotage in prison." It mentions the possibility of Conrad serving his sentence (if any) in the UK, but discounts the likelihood.

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Mark Steyn, in his Maclean's Conrad Black trial blog, has a special Canada Day message for those who are sure that Canada was Pushover Nation...