Anatomy of Petters Verdict Report
As a chain of 20 guilty verdicts were read by the jury in the trial of Tom Petters, a chain of communication was at work in the newsroom this evening.
Our reporter, Bill Keller, was on the phone with our assignment editors, within earshot of my desk as I was filing a report on the reaching of a verdict. As word of the first guilty verdict came down, I started to publish an update on our TweetDeck, which became guilty on the first 11 counts by the time it was ready to send.
Seconds later, Petters was guilty on all counts and MyFOX9.com was the first TV station in the Twin Cities to confirm it online.
Minnesota doesn’t allow cameras in the courtroom, which adds an intense level of suspense to covering a trial when you aren’t the reporter in the courtroom.
What a night. Oh, by the way…Petters could get 335 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 on each count. Thinking of running a Ponzi scheme?
