Journalist Dan Abrams shared stories from a profession covering a number of the nation’s most high-profile legal battles when he visited the Carolina Theatre in Greensboro on November 2, 2022, as a part of Elon Law’s Distinguished Leadership Lecture Series presented by The Joseph M. Bryan Foundation.
Journalist Dan Abrams is certain of at the least three things regarding America’s system of justice and its media ecosystem:
- The mainstream news media leans left ideologically and won’t acknowledge its bias, notably with story selection and coverage decisions – but stories themselves are factually accurate, which right-leaning media refuse to acknowledge.
- The power for very wealthy individuals with unlimited funds to file lawsuits against news organizations for stories they don’t like, even when those stories are accurate, poses an existential threat to a free press.
- Cameras belong within the courtroom, though the possibilities of that taking place any time soon within the Supreme Court of america – which prohibits them – is sort of nonexistent.
“The explanation is clear to me,” Abrams told a downtown Greensboro audience as the primary speaker in Elon University School of Law’s 2022-2023 Distinguished Leadership Lecture Series presented by The Joseph M. Bryan Foundation. “They don’t wish to be recognized on the road. Period.”
After all, Abrams said, cameras were a detriment to the administration of justice within the 1995 criminal trial where he rose to prominence for his reporting on Court TV: The People of the State of California v. Orenthal James Simpson.
“People should give you the chance to observe the person representing ‘the people,’” Abrams said. “But when you need to use one example against cameras within the courtroom, it’s the O.J. Simpson trial … since the lawyers were hyper focused on where the camera was and the coverage. That shouldn’t be the case in almost some other case. You forget concerning the camera. The camera is just sitting there, and other people ignore it.”
Elon Law’s premiere community event returned to the Carolina Theatre for the primary time in three years on November 2 with a visit by Abrams, whose prolific profession has included coverage of several pivotal trials and lawsuits which have shaped American history.
200 people attended the hour-long program where the media entrepreneur conversed with Elon Law Professor Enrique Armijo, a scholar of the First Amendment, and answered questions from audience members.
The discussion ranged from the way in which Americans perceive the court system by what they devour from media, how information is shared through social media where filters don’t exist to make sure its accuracy, and why he believes voters are uninterested in hearing concerning the January sixth Commission.
“Democrats have been running on ‘democracy is in danger,’ and it’s not working,” Abrams said. “People care more concerning the economy and their pocketbooks and crime than they do a few theoretical comment about ‘democracy is in danger.’ That’s not to attenuate all of it. Since it’s real! The individuals who won’t even commit to saying they’ll accept the leads to this election are bananas and scary. But there needs to be a time and a spot and a option to speak about that so it doesn’t just feel such as you’re doing it for political points.
“I feel that’s the challenge. … It’s more vital, I feel, to look forward than to look back.”
Abrams is the CEO and Founding father of Abrams Media, host of “Dan Abrams Live” on NewsNation and “On Patrol: Live” on Reelz, Chief Legal Affairs Correspondent for ABC News, host of SiriusXM radio’s “The Dan Abrams Show: Where Politics Meets The Law,” and host and executive producer of “Court Cam” and “Taking the Stand” on A&E Network.
He previously co-anchored ABC’s Nightline, hosted “The Abrams Report” and the acclaimed “Verdict with Dan Abrams” on MSNBC, hosted the top-rated series “Live PD” on A&E Network, and served as chief legal correspondent for NBC News. Abrams also served as general manager of MSNBC, where he presided over a period of unprecedented growth.
A graduate of Columbia Law School, Abrams has published quite a few articles within the Latest York Times and Wall Street Journal, along with The Yale Law and Policy Review, ABCNews.com, and Mediaite.com. He’s the co-author with David Fisher of several bestselling books about lesser-known trials of importance in United States history.
This system featured remarks by Elon Law Interim Dean Alan Woodlief, in addition to Leadership Fellows Vanessa Garcia L’22 and Todd Bowyer L’23. Garcia and Bowyer had previously interviewed Abrams on Zoom in the times leading as much as this system.
“Our 2022-23 lecture series focuses on law and media. As a journalism major myself, I’m particularly all in favour of the intersection of those two areas,” Woodlief said. “The subject is timely, as we discover ourselves at a time when many are distrustful or skeptical of established institutions, including the courts and our legal system. … We’re excited to have Mr. Abrams with us tonight to debate the role of the media in explaining and demystifying our courts and legal system, and maybe sometimes defending and other times holding accountable these same institutions.”
Elon Law’s lecture series continues January 19, 2023, when Sunny Hostin of The View visits the Carolina Theatre for a night program. The series concludes on April 12, 2023, with a night visit by Shannon Bream of FOX News.
Each events are free and open to the general public. While no tickets are required, attendees are encouraged to RSVP to let law school administrators know to expect them and to assist with communication of timely updates or other vital information.
The Distinguished Leadership Lecture Series is an integral a part of Elon Law’s commitment to learning, lawyering and leadership. Endowed through a generous gift from The Joseph M. Bryan Foundation of Greensboro, N.C., the series brings completed leaders from quite a lot of disciplines to Elon to share their experiences and perspectives with students and school.
