Television host Nancy Grace is again being sued this week over the latest example of her low-grade, gotcha programming. Grace is being sued by a man who she labeled the “selfie stalker” for allegedly taking a picture with a crime victim’s cellphone. The problem is that Ben Seibert is not a stalker and did not take such a picture with the phone. He was cleared of the allegations but that did not stop Grace from continuing to shred his reputation on-air. It is always shocking to see Grace appear not just on CNNHD but CNN generally. If, as the tagline reads, “this is CNN” it has truly experienced a fall from Grace.
The case brings back memories of the earlier lawsuit against Grace in the suicide of a young mother who was hounded by Grace who effectively declared her guilty of the murder of her own child. A Harvard professor has concluded that CNN Headline New’s rabid host, Nancy Grace, contributed to the death of a mother, Melinda Duckett, who committed suicide three years ago after being savaged by Grace.
Grace has made a career out of snarling and sensational segments on criminal stories. She was hired by CNN despite a very controversial career as a prosecutor during which courts repeatedly cited her for abusive or unethical conduct. For a prior column on prosecutorial abuse by Grace, click here. Any criticism of Fox by CNN is remarkably hypocritical in light of its long association with Grace.
In this case, Grace all but pronounced Melinda Duckett as involved in the disappearance of her 2-year-old son in 2006. In a signature segment, Grace virtually mocked Duckett’s claims of innocence. Duckett shot herself in the head the next day.
The family has sued Grace, here, and a Harvard clinical professor of psychiatry has written that the CNN interview inflicted public humiliation and was “a substantial contributing cause” of Duckett’s death.
The most recent lawsuit details the same signature sensationalism from Grace who told millions of viewers that Ben Seibert invaded a woman’s home and snapped a photo of himself on her phone, which she described as a “textbook serial killer’s calling card.” His photo was released by Denver Metro Crime Stoppers after a woman called police saying a man had entered her home while she was putting her children to bed. Police said she was especially fearful because she believed the man had taken a selfie with her phone inside her home. However, an investigation showed the picture was Seibert’s Facebook photo that had been taken elsewhere. Seibert quickly called police when friends saw the story and was cleared. Grace’s show was allegedly told that her broadcast was false, but she continued to air it. He is not seeking more than $100,000 in damages.
While we often joke about the antics of Grace like her attacking the weather or demanding to know who killed Whitney Houston, her rabid approach to legal cases is degrading not just for victims and defendants but our legal system as a whole. She uses people as props in her rather macabre night circus. Of course, there remains an element of people who love such displays like a WWF version of legal analysis. However, Grace conveys a consistent contempt for such principles as the presumption of innocence and due process. While it is clearly just entertainment, it is the safest form of entertainment. Nevertheless, CNN continues to air her show and even call upon her for legal analysis in high-profile cases. CNN continues to hold up Grace as a legal expert — a position that must be truly demeaning for the real legal analysts and journalists who work at Turner. Grace can claim the singular distinction of degrading two professions — the law and journalism — simultaneously. However, she could not succeed with such excess without the help of executives who are willing to trade integrity for ratings.
Source: NY Post
When people think about lawyers they think of Nancy Grace not Atticus Finch. Just sayn’
“It is always shocking to see Grace appear not just on CNNHD…”
JT – Am I reading this correctly as a thinly veiled insult of Ms. Grace that she is shockingly ugly, especially when viewed on High-Definition television?
If so, it is sad and hypocritical to see you stoop so low.
She is a greedy, sleazy, unethical slime ball. You know. A lawyer.
It’s this type of mean spirited behavior that is wrong with a segment of humanity. Luckily there are more humans that see that making accusations about innocent people, even after learning the truth, is some of the lowest behavior in humanity and will reject these sorts of people. Sociopaths don’t feel they’ve ever done anything wrong toward another person, they actually are proud of their ‘accomplishments’ and brag about them to others. While it’s appropriate to revile these kind of people, they must also be pitied, I pity their poor families even more.
Nancy Grace is the biggest disgrace to the aborigine race and her boomerang wont come back. Oh, she can ride a kangaroo and eat ikDay too. But her Pig Latin is a disgrace and she can not find an ace. She is getting old too. Maybe she should tone down the make-up. Looks like a hooker who is not a looker. Maybe just name her Jes Louise and be done with it. itchBay on the ooyeA.
issac – didn’t Iraq invade Kuwait? Is driving them out of Kuwait about money?
Dog and pony show, donkey show, shock jock show, Nancy Grace show, where would we be without them? Where would she be? Tijuana?
I hope the jury is in a generous mood.
Nancy Grace is a pretty typical narcissist, bordering on sociopathic, given the indifference to suffering she’s caused.
She appears to enjoy torturing people, and she is rewarded handsomely for it.
Sad to see the venerable Clinton News Network sink to dishonest, self-serving journalism.
The foremost driving force in this country is money. Vietnam was about money. Iraq was about money. Politicians get elected or destroyed by money, not by any semblance of intelligence on the voters’ part. Therefore, fine the perpetrator, sue the slanderer, and perhaps the problem will subside. It will never go away for the very reason, everyone loves a train wreck. It is human nature but must be controlled. In this country in the midst of its chaos regarding what is right, what is truth, what is honest, make those that go over the line pay through the nose.
issac – would you like to explain how Vietnam was about money for the United States?
In many respects I agree with doglover regarding television news. He argue that Stewart, Colbert, SNL, Limbaugh & the entire Fox line-up is no different than CNN. However one fails to mention some other networks that, in my opinion, are even worse. Now we find out that this administration paid > $400,000 to a MIT Economics teacher just to pull the wool over young people eyes – especially those whose finances are not supplemented by the wealth of their family & friends. Now these young people of lesser means are less able to acquire accumulation of capital, thanks to the tax code. Those who are born without such means must climb the hill of life by depending on work for income not the perquisites others accept reflexively.
There’s nothing like a Nancy Grace post to unite all the disparate personalities here. As much as anything she says, her face and voice are visual affronts,
I stopped watching Dancing with the Stars when she was on it. I cannot stand to watch her because she does not have a fair bone in her body. I would hate to have been her kids and husband(s).
Even if he wins, damages of $100,000 won’t stop her. Has she been disbarred yet?
Can she not argue that she is not acting in the role of “journalist” or “attorney” but as an entertainer taking artistic liberties similar to Stewart, Colbert, SNL, Limbaugh, and the entire Fox line-up? Didn’t the Senate recently try to define who is and isn’t a journalist with all the rights associated with “freedom of the press”? Who exactly is a journalist as opposed to a entertainer, comedian, criminal, or common liar and where are the limits today of Freedom of the Press?
What a waste of a good American prosecutor.
She should go back to railroading innocens into long prison sentences.
CNN is largely dishonest in the rest of its news shows, so I don’t know why falsity would be any barrier for them.
Haz is correct, money talks.
Grace was also adamant in proclaiming the guilt of the Duke lacrosse team.
What Nancy Grace does on her show can be despicable. And she will continue to do it until the cost paid by CNN for her on-air malbehavior is greater than the revenue generated by her show.
CNN is bleeding revenue and ratings in its news department (witness the recent articles about news department layoffs) while other shows like that of Nancy Grace produce enough revenue to continue their broadcast. She’ll be on the air until CNN feels the monetary penalty for her most egregious behaviors.
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Where are my manners? Good morning all, and blessings of this beautiful day to you!