An inside peek at how the media covers the Jimmy Dimora corruption trial

AKRON, Ohio - Before the start of their client's corruption trial, Jimmy Dimora's defense attorneys warned the federal court of an imminent "media circus" they believed would adversely impact the trial. Aside from some periodic clowning around among reporters who share a joke here and there during their 12 hour days, their prediction was as far as possible from reality.

U.S. District Court Judge Sara Lioi ordered no cameras or other recording in the courthouse or even outside on the courthouse plaza. Attorneys on both sides of the case have often been as secretive and cryptic in dealing with media questions as the defendants in the corruption case were on wiretap calls after the FBI raids on county offices.

But this has not stopped the media from forging ahead to bring northeast Ohioans daily television, print, online and radio reports on the largest public corruption investigation in Cuyahoga County history.

Morning street greet

Each morning around 7:30 a.m., reporters and photographers begin their work outside on the sidewalk in front of the Akron federal courthouse. Scouting for new witnesses and seeking reflections from the defense attorneys, reporters ask questions on the latest trial developments as photographers take video and still photos of the arriving parties to the case.

Defendant Michael Gabor and his attorneys, Leif Christman and David Oakley, typically arrive shortly before Dimora and his defense team. Unlike Dimora, Gabor often smiles as Christman offers a genuine "good morning," and in the past periodic sound bites, while he and his team walk non-stop past reporters to the courthouse plaza.

Dimora, with the exception of a one-week period where there was a great deal of testimony about his alleged sexual trysts, typically walks along with his family behind defense attorneys Bill and Andrea Whitaker. Dimora and his entourage also move non-stop to the courthouse as photographers shoot video while reporters ask the questions of the day.

Bill Whitaker, at times with a smile, is known for responding to reporters' questions with a cryptic answer such as, "The testimony will reveal the answer," or something of similar little use to hungry reporters looking for deeper reflection on a complex trial. Unlike his past tendency to thrive on media attention, Dimora has been consistently unanimated and silent.

Prosecution witnesses, most who have pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges, arrive with their attorney and a grim look, never answering questions. One attorney made a sarcastic comment one morning about reporters needing to earn their living, yet ironically his client later that day admitted to conducting a 2006 sham election campaign against Frank Russo and being paid off with a $67,000-plus county job for doing so.

Federal prosecutors use a courthouse garage entrance where they can avoid the media. Federal agents have also sneaked star witnesses Frank Russo and J. Kevin Kelley, as well as a prostitute and exotic dancer who testified against Dimora, through the garage entrance to avoid the media.

Court police, security: Firm, fair and friendly

The first federal official reporters and photographers typically see each day is a Federal Protective Service officer who monitors the media to make sure no one crosses the property line onto the plaza while questioning arriving defendants, attorneys and witnesses.

Immediately inside the courthouse doors, the press is greeted by court security officers (CSOs) who are firm, but fair and friendly, as they guide visitors through the metal detector and x-ray machine processes. These officers, all experienced law enforcement veterans who are deputized as U.S. marshals, also rotate in and out of the media room to keep a watchful eye out to make sure media officials do not make phone calls or eat food in the media room.

Inside the media room

Room 442, the courtroom of Judge David Dowd, has been converted into the Dimora trial media room. Video and sound from the actual trial courtroom (530) is piped into the media room where credentialed media representatives use laptops to take notes, write stories to send back to their respective news stations, and prepare scripts for outside live shots or packages for their noon and evening TV news shows.

Reporters may also sit in the trial courtroom itself, but they cannot take their phones or laptops inside the room. They must also not enter or exit the room until the next break or bench conference, which makes it difficult for reporters on deadlines who need to file their stories.

Judge Lioi, known for her no-nonsense approach in keeping the court on time, typically calls in jurors at 8:30 a.m and recesses court anywhere between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. daily. The judge calls a 15-minute break around 10:00 a.m., a hour lunch break around noon, and another 15-minute break mid-afternoon, during which times reporters play catch-up on their notes, story writing and phone calls to their bosses.

While competition is a natural