Media Coverage of JFP’s Dee-Moore Investigation

Here's one CNN transcript that mentions the JFP's role:

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Soledad, as you pointed out, this case languished for 43 years. There is recognition of that in "The Jackson Clarion-Ledger," the forgotten killings. The picture of one of the victims, Charles Moore, whose brother is credited with helping to reopen this case. Seventy-one-year-old James Seal reputed to be a former Ku Klux Klansman was arrested on federal kidnapping charges. Now this is not the first time that Seal has been arrested in connection with this case. He and Charles Edwards were arrested in 1964 and charged with kidnapping and murder. Now according to FBI old documents, the FBI said to Seale at the time, we know you did it, you know you did it, the Lord knows you did it. Seale replied to them, "Yes but I won't admit it, you're going to have to prove it." Now it was turned over to local authorities at that time and just a few months later they released the pair saying that witnesses would not testify.

There had been intimidation and the case was pretty much dropped until 2000 when the FBI opened it again. But nothing happened until two years ago when Charles Moore's brother began a journey with a documentary filmmaker and a reporter from "The Jackson Free Press," a journey through Mississippi to plead with people to find out more about his brother. You could see a confrontation that Thomas Moore had with Charles Edwards, one of those suspects, in his pleas to try to find out what happened. Now apparently sources do say that Charles Edwards may have given information to the FBI which led to the arrest of James Seale. Ironically, James Seale will be arraigned in Jackson federal court today. Just about the same time that Thomas Moore will be at an FBI presser in Washington, lauding his arrest. Soledad?

S. O'BRIEN: Wow, that's an incredible story. There were these rumors as you've said that Seale was dead. That the family was saying that and many people believed it. Did they believe it because it was sort of convenient to believe it? He wasn't so far from where it all happened.

BTW, Rusty Dornin is great. Kate and I spent the day in Meadville with her and her crew, and even though they were under the gun, they were really intent on getting the story right and not to tell just part of the story. Hat's off.

And here is a link to the transcript of Rusty's piece on the Paula Zahn Show that night. As I say on another thread, it doesn't do it justice without CNN's footage from Meadville, Kate's great photographs from our trip with Thomas, and David's riveting footage of Thomas, especially whacking the tree, but y'all can see what they said. I don't see a link to the video. Sorry.

Here's yet another CNN transcript. I guess they talked about it throughout the day while we were in Meadville with Rusty & Co. We didn't have a TV in the woods. ;-)

n 2000, the FBI looked into it again, but it wasn't until two years ago, when Thomas Moore, the brother of one of the victims, made a personal journey with a reporter from the Jackson Free Press and a documentary film-maker, through his home in Mississippi, talking to people, urging to find the killer of his brother and his friend.

I should also say that I think it was really cool that CNN immediately sent a crew to Mississippi rather than just covering the press conference in Washington. They wanted to retrace Thomas' steps on that first trip and really show viewers what we all saw. That's good journalism.

Lo and behold, the Mississippi Press Association blog plugged the JFP's Dee-Moore work.

(You'll note that I couldn't help being a tad snarky to the group that won't let us into their organization because we're free distribution, although its members are competing with us with free publications. Smile.)

(Note that we added the CNN segment on U-tube to the list above.)