Online chat groups were buzzing Monday as the Ramseys met in Atlanta with Boulder, Colo., police investigators to discuss the death of their daughter, JonBenet, in 1996. At the WebbSleuths' JonBenet site, several people were speculating about what may have been the topics covered.

"There must be some questions regarding the fibers from Patsy's jacket . . ." one writer said. "Did her jacket come in contact with JonBenet's face during the evening? During the time JonBenet was put to bed?"

The Web site also has a collection of pages attempting to document the case's twists and turns.

http://www.webbsleuths.com

http://www.accessatlanta.com/partners/ajc/epaper/editions/today/local_news_93ba35f9f65d128f005c.html

Children, Law and Media
Spring 2000

Assignment 9: Sensationalism and Exploitation - JonBenet Ramsey and Elian Gonzalez

Unlike our other classes, this class will focus exclusively on the way in which the media has covered the issues involving these two
children. Your assignment is to range as freely and deeply as possible into that coverage. Whether you choose to read newspaper or
magazine accounts, browse web sites and web pages, watch TV reports (or read their transcripts) or "docu-dramas" is up to you. Try
to spend some time on each child. Try also to look at a range of sources so that you can compare coverage. For example, did the
Denver Post and the Miami Herald and local TV stations cover these children differently than the national press and Fox News,
CNN or CBS? What do you think compels individuals or groups to create web pages about these children? Try to identify as many
"issues" involved in this coverage as possible. Also try to sort out what seems "legitimate" and "newsworthy" to you from what
seems sensationalistic or exploitative. Finally, try to spend a little time on what the media says about the media coverage of these
children. Think about whether policy and law about children has been or can be affected by the quality and type of coverage these
children have elicited. Our discussion will grow out of your findings.

UPDATE: I am putting a copy of Brill's Content which ran a cover story on JonBenet in February on reserve. I would urge you to
read it for its critique of media coverage. It lists a number of private web pages that are dedicated to the case that you may want to
take a look at, including: www.joshua-7.com/mrsbrady/ and www.jameson245.com .

http://www.law.columbia.edu/course_00S_L9024_001/Assignment 9.htm