The media reports, webbed overnight and today, on the Conrad Black trial have filled in the no-news gap (including no developments today) with speculation, commentary and related features:
1. The National Post has a brief wrapup of yesterday's deliberations, with a quote from Hugh Totten, who speculated that the jurors are "likely going over and over some of the same old ground...."
2. CTV News' report is more detailed because some background and recapping of Tuesday's deadlock have been added. Two experts are quoted in it, and there are links to nine broadband clips on the right-hand side of the webpage.
3. The Ottawa Sun has webbed a Canadian Press report that focuses upon Conrad Black flipping the bird at the media, and what it reveals about his state of mind. (Yes, there is an expert quoted in it.)
4. Also from the Ottawa Sun: a comment by Earl MacRae on that same bird flip.
5. The Globe and Mail has webbed an opinion piece by Derek de Cloet, which concludes that Conrad Black was done in through not playing it straight in the business world.
6. The Illinois Daily Herald's Burt Constable mentions Conrad Black's fate in a column about bias against the media and scandals that feed it: "Black is the perfect storm for people who hate the [mainstream] media. He’s a media guy charged with a major crime in which the victims also are media people. With 300 journalists, many of them foreign correspondents, running up expense accounts during four months of court proceedings, even the media covering the case is being forced to spend a small fortune."
7. A write-up from the New York Post's Janet Whitman reports that the only item from the jury yesterday was a note saying that the jurors will resume deliberations at 9 AM CT today.
8. Joe Warmington's latest column, as webbed by the Toronto Sun, is entitled "Blacks watch, worry and wait." He discusses Conrad's recent tension, and reveals near the end that it isn't just one or more juror(s) who need a cigarette break.
9. A recap report by Romina Maurino of CP, as webbed by the London Free Press, gives the planned time for today's deliberations: 9 AM to 4:45 PM CT.
10. A write-up by Robyn Doolittle of the Toronto Star also brings in Conrad's likely state of mind as the jury continues deliberating: "Yesterday, [despite his oft-expressed confidence], Black's poker face looked haggard. He was spotted walking the streets surrounding the court, hand-in-hand with wife Barbara Amiel, who would occasionally smile at him."
11. Both Conrad and Barbara Black have gotten one mention each in the latest column by Michael Sneed of the Chicago Sun-Times. A recent Maclean's column by her is highlighted, and a support call for him, from Julie Nixon Eisenhower, is mentioned.
12. Another CTV News report has been webbed, which includes commentary from Ted Chung, who "told CTV Newsnet anything could happen...."
13. Paul Waldie and Tara Perkins of the Globe have written a report that contains a description of the Black family as of about 4:45 PM CT yesterday. "They seemed relaxed and chatty as they got into the car but declined comment." Jack Boultbee also gets a mention.
14. The Prince George Citizen has webbed a CP report by Keith Leslie, entitled "Jury in Conrad Black fraud trial in eleventh day of deliberations." After reporting that there's neither verdict nor note from the jury this morning, it explains the 'clothing indicator'. "The sight of blue jeans on one juror prompted speculation there would not be a verdict again Thursday, because the nine women and three men know they'll be on international television when they do conclude deliberations." The rest of it is a recount of events since Tuesday afternoon and capsule description of what the trial's about.
15. BBC News has also posted a no-news-today-so-far report, with background in the rest of it.
16. Amanda Lang of BNN, at 5:23 PM ET, reported that the jurors have gone home for the day, and have left a note saying that they will deliberate from 9 AM to 1 PM ET tomorrow.
17. Right after that announcement, BNN aired an interview with jury expert Paul Lisnek. Csr. Lisnek started off by saying that Friday could be an important day, in the sense that it creates the potentiality for an expectation of a finish. The outcome is hard to predict because the necessary information, on the split number and over what charges, is needed. Nevertheless, Csr. Lisnek expects an announcement tomorrow, either of verdict or deadlock. He still doesn't sense any personality conflicts in the jury.
The defense seems to think that a partial verdict is best, but this strategy is risky. He'd recommend that the defense move to "set the entire trial aside" if the jury gets hung, even though the prosecution would put up a fight if they do. Csr. Lisnek beleives that it's an effective loss for the prosecution if there are convictions only on the perks charge.
The jurors seeing Mark Kipnis differently from the other defendants can give two perspectives to them, on the charges or, "more dangerously for the defendants," the defendants themselves. The wait for the verdict seems long because of the continuous coverage. Given the length of the trial, it hasn't been that long.
The jurors are aware of the media attention on them, so they're trying to cover up any revealing body language. That angry juror last might might very well have been angry over something personal. Csr. Lisnek moved to an ending by returning to his starting point, when he was informed of the 1 PM CT knock-off time: it tied onto his "gut feeling" about Friday being portentous. He finished up by noting that the jury also rates a free lunch if they knock off at 1 PM, but not if they end the day before lunchtime.
18. A Reuters report says the same thing as item #16 above does, except for omitting the time specification and adding a little background. So does the Canada.com report.
19. The Associated Press has issued a "Summary Box" of today's part of the deliberations.
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In "The Crime Sheet," Steve Skurka, as a defense lawyer, takes Conrad to task for losing his composure in the middle-finger incident.
Despite he being called away, Mark Steyn is still posting regularly in his Maclean's Conrad Black trial blog. His latest entry pokes fun at the Globe's attention to Conrad Black's socklessness.
Douglas Bell's top-stories post for today in the Toronto Life Conrad Black trial blog has the latest on the tea-leaf reading. One of his selections is an entry from the Wall Street Journal Law Blog that explains what a partial verdict is.
There's also a new entry in the "Black Board," which contains an anecdote about the British and Canadian reporters getting together for cards today after several days of sticking with their fellow nationals.
The National Post's blog "Posted" reveals that the reporter that's been designated as the court contact by the entire group of them is none other than Romina Maurino.
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