Media Participation Project

For my media participation project, I got the opportunity to shadow Keith L. Alexander, a crime reporter for the Washington Post. When he informed me that we would be meeting at the D.C. Superior Court to follow some trials, I was both nervous and excited. When I arrived at the court, I used my extra time to gaze upon all the different personalities that entered the building, asking myself: "What is their story? Why are they here?" For some, it was just the menial task of performing jury duty; for others, it was the undying pursuit of justice. After our formal introduction, Mr. Alexander gave me a quick tour of the court house and told me some interesting facts, such as that the third floor consists primarily of homicide cases.
This happens to be the floor that we most frequented, as we sat in on a trial reviewing the case of Michael Poth, an ex-Marine that was charged with second-degree murder in 2012. I had no idea what to expect going into the trial, but I was excited to experience a real murder case. It also came as a surprise to me that the courts are open to the public (except for family court cases), so essentially anyone can attend a trial as long as they pass the security lines. Since the trial started later than anticipated, Mr. Alexander and I sat down and drank coffee in a little cafeteria downstairs.
This was the perfect opportunity for me to learn more about his background and interests. I was interested to discover that, even at a young age, he was confident in his ability to become a reporter. He graduated from Howard University with a journalism major, and was a business writer, with a focus on airlines, for fifteen years. Before the Washington Post, Mr. Alexander worked for several publications, such as USA Today. However, it was at the Post that he realized that he found the realm of criminal reporting to be the most intriguing, as he enjoys covering real people and emotional issues.
Since it was now time for the trial to commence, we prepared ourselves to go back upstairs. One of the elements that stood out the most to me during the trial was the persistent behavior of the defense attorney, Bernard Grimm. Just as I believed that the prosecutor had exhausted all possible evidence from the witnesses, Grimm employed clever techniques in order to extract exactly the right information to defend his client. It also took me by surprise when the witness, Megan Moore (a close friend of the victim), started to get emotional when describing the scene of the crime. Her demeanor was extremely professional until that point, which emphasized how she felt, even a year after the crime took place. We also attended another trial that focused on gang violence and conspiracies, which was interesting to see, especially as one of the witnesses was wearing a blue jumpsuit, along with handcuffs.
Overall, I found my experience shadowing Mr. Keith Alexander to be extremely interesting and beneficial. I have always been intrigued by the realm of crime, as I enjoy discovering the motives of the criminals, and how the defense plans to be successful. It is also fascinating to try to decipher the stories behind all of those who sat with me in court. I enjoyed attending some of the trials, which allowed me to discover a new possible career path. Ultimately, I would say that my day exploring the D.C. Superior Court was very successful, and I am grateful for experiencing this opportunity.
-Emilie Boyer