Media Circus: A Look at Private Tragedy in the Public Eye

by Kim Goldman, Tatsha Robertson

Overview

Imagine losing a loved one in the public eye.

A media frenzy ensues and spreads your family name through the news. Reporters ambush you, and across the country, strangers gossip about your personal loss.

Welcome to the circus.

No one understands better than Kim Goldman the complex emotions of individuals suffering a personal tragedy under the relentless gaze of the media. During the famed O.J. Simpson trial, Kim, whose brother, Ron Goldman, was brutally murdered, became the public poster child for victims suffering in the public eye.

In Media Circus, Goldman, now a dedicated victims' advocate who works with families across the country, presents the first collective look at these ordinary, grieving victims—forced to manage their very private trauma and despair in a very public way.

Through candid interviews and detailed, original reporting, Media Circus delivers riveting, humanizing, and inspiring stories from the victims and survivors of violent crimes who found themselves the focus of national media attention. Its heartfelt narratives showcase the unique challenges of coping with and healing from grief when the whole world is watching.

In these pages, the families of other victims tell their stories, including:

Esaw And Emerald Garner, wife and daughter of police brutality victim Eric Garner (2014)

Scarlett Lewis, mother of six-year-old Newtown tragedy victim Jesse Lewis (2012)

Debra Tate, sister of Charles Manson murder victim Sharon Tate (1969)

Judy Shepard, mother of gay hate-crime victim Matthew Shepard (1998)

Mildred Muhammad, ex-wife of the DC Sniper (2002)

Tere Duperrault Fassbender, survivor of family's brutal murder at sea (1961)

Collene Campbell, sister of murdered NASCAR driver Mickey Thompson (1988)

Marie Monville, wife of the Amish Shooter (2006)

Dave And Mary Neese, parents of teen murder victim Skylar Neese (2012)

Scott And Kathleen Larimer, parents of Aurora theater shooting victim John Larimer, and

Shirley Wygal, mother of Aurora theater shooting victim Rebecca Wingo (2012)

Media Circus goes beyond the names and faces to show the real victims behind the stories.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781941631607
Publisher:	BenBella Books
Publication date:	09/22/2015
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Known nationwide as a victims’ rights advocate after her brother’s murder and the infamous OJ Simpson murder trial, Kim Goldman is the founding Co-Chair of The Ron Goldman Foundation for Justice. She is also the Executive Director of The Youth Project, a non-profit organization that provides free counseling, support groups, crisis intervention, and education and outreach to thousands of teenagers since opening in 2000. In her spare time, Goldman travels the country as an impassioned public speaker on victims’ rights, the role of the media, judicial reform, and other related topics. She is currently a resident of Greater Los Angeles, where she has lived for thirteen years, and a single parent. See more online at KimberlyGoldman.com.

Tatsha Robertson, MA, is an award-winning editor and writer with more than 20 years of experience handling investigative, feature, and news stories for leading magazines and newspapers. As the first female New York City Bureau Chief and National Rover for the Boston Globe, she began studying how parents raise successful children some ten years ago. She pioneered Essence magazine's focus on investigative and news articles, which led to the positioning of the magazine as a significant authority and voice on news and led to an interview with President Obama on parenting. Most recently, she was a senior editor at People, where she focused on crime stories. She has been an adjunct professor of journalism at New York University since 2005. Ms. Robertson has been a frequent guest on national media, appearing on programs like TODAY and for television networks that include CNN, HLN, FOX, and MSNBC. A prolific writer, Robertson recently co-authored Media Circus with Kim Goldman. She is also completing a thriller. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, she grew up in Greenville, South Carolina, and earned a bachelor's degree at Morris College and a master's degree in journalism at The Ohio State University.

Editorial Reviews

"
“Kim takes us to a place the camera rarely has an opportunity to go. An intimate look inside the lives of grieving survivors with a level of trust only a fellow survivor could earn. At times of tragedy, mass media tends to skim the surface.”

—Kyra Phillips, CNN Anchor/Correspondent

“Behind every headline lies a personal story that is often forgotten or never told. Kim Goldman's Media Circus renders an eye-opening glance into the reality of high-profile victims’ personal loss and struggle for healing.”

—Debra Tate, victim advocate and author of Sharon Tate: Recollection

“Goldman makes very important comparisons of cases from the past 30 years and shows how social media and media in general has impacted the victims while living under the public microscope.”

—Katie Beers, victims’ rights advocate and author of Buried Memories
"

From the Publisher