As the media gets set for months of coverage of the Michael Jackson trial, journalists and interested observers should keep their eye on The Smoking Gun.
The Smoking Gun publishes exclusive documents such as FBI and police records, confidential filings in lawsuits and other papers obtained from government and law enforcement sources and via Freedom of Information requests.
The site often scoops major media on big stories, and as a result has earned a reputation over the years as a tip sheet for reporters.
Among the scoops:
- Discovering that the groom on Fox’s “Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire?”, Rick Rockwell, once beat his girlfriend
- Uncovering the racy 1977 sex magazine interview with Arnold Schwarzenegger right before the California governor’s election (since taken down)
- Publishing details related to the recent sexual harassment lawsuit against Bill O’Reilly
- Publishing the 1993 testimony of the teenage boy who sued Michael Jackson for sexual battery and emotional distress
The site was launched in 1997 by several former Village Voice reporters and is now owned by Court TV, which bought the site in 2000. Journalists can feel comfortable that the documents here are authentic — they’re gathered by experienced reporters, and I’m not aware of the site ever publishing any fake documents.
Many documents related to the upcoming Michael Jackson trial have already been made public, but The Smoking gun managed to get its hands on some of the confidential records.
Earlier this month, The Smoking Gun published an in-depth report on the Michael Jackson case revealing never-before-released details, based on a review of hundreds of pages of confidential law enforcement and government reports, grand jury testimony and sealed court records The Smoking Gun viewed.
The site is worth monitoring throughout the trial, and just in general for noteworthy documents about criminal and civil cases. And for those who want to make sure they don’t miss the latest “smoking gun,” you can sign up for the site’s e-mail alerts.
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