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Circumstantial Evidence 101 on NPR

By Mark Obbie

After a report by Laura Sullivan that was described as the "first sit-down interview" with anthrax suspect Bruce Ivins' attorney, Paul Kemp, NPR's Ari Shapiro used his reporting to contribute to the ongoing debate over the strength of the government's case against Ivins. Shaprio tackled a natural topic for a sidebar: what is circumstantial evidence, is it an inherent sign of prosecutorial weakness, and how common is it? Shaprio's expert sources provided a healthy variety of answers, making for a generally helpful and instructive story. Too bad Shapiro didn't take a few more seconds to contrast circumstantial evidence with its opposite -- physical and other direct evidence. Still, he used a high-profile case, and an often-repeated but rarely explained element of it, to teach his audience some law.

Full post as published by Lawbeat on August 08, 2008 (boomark / email).