Former FBI profiler turned commentator: Don't rush to judge
September 15, 2006 12:50 am
By MICHAEL ZITZ
MSNBC analyst Clint Van Zandt, a voice of reason during the recent media feeding frenzy over the wanna-be killer of JonBenet Ramsey, says the wall-to-wall coverage was a dream come true for John Mark Karr.
"If I'm not careful, I can get sucked in," he said. "I'm responsible for the words that come out of my mouth."
And Van Zandt said he believes getting "sucked in" can be dangerous, not just to his own reputation, but to the public.
At the end of the latest JonBenet frenzy, Connecticut lawyer Jonathon Edington was charged with murder, accused of stabbing a neighbor 12 times because he suspected the man of molesting his 2-year-old daughter. Van Zandt wondered if the sensational coverage contributed to that father's rage.
He said there are lines that should not be crossed on television news and talk shows to get ratings.
There's little doubt in Van Zandt's mind that an aggressive Nancy Grace interview pushed Melinda Duckett--the 21-year-old mother of a Leesburg, Fla. 2-year-old named Trenton Duckett who vanished two weeks ago--into taking her own life.
http://www.truthinjustice.org/dambrosio.htm