Twitchell trial: A new kind of court reporting

In Edmonton, the trial of an accused murderer is attracting a flurry of media attention. Having already live-blogged their way through the gruesome sentencing hearing of convicted killer Russell Williams, Canadian newsrooms are again embracing a new kind of court reporting for the trial of filmmaker Mark Twitchell.

Justice Terry Clackson denied journalist’s requests to have Internet access in the courtroom, citing fairness for the accused. The compromise: computers in an adjoining room that “receive slightly delayed audio recordings of the proceedings,” The Edmonton Journal reports (it was one of the organizations that applied for courtroom Internet access).

The paper has been liveblogging the trial anyway — reporters are ducking out frequently to update the site, and they are making use of the audio recordings, a Postmedia reporter notes. In addition, their digital team produced an interactive timeline chronicling allegations against Twitchell, using a free online program called Dipity.