Headline Justice: Inside the Courtroom -- The Country's Most Controversial Trials [Paperback]

Theo Wilson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 13, 1998

From the 1950s through the 1980s Theo Wilson, described as "the greatest trial reporter in the U.S." covered every major court case for the New York Daily News. Drawing on the lessons of trials past and the insights which made her a cult figure among her readers, Theo tells a colorful story of the vanished world of respectable tabloid journalism and one reporter's unique impact on her profession and America's legal system. Lawyers and judges considered her an authority to be reckoned with, and readers knew she would never mislead them. Woven through these tales is a story of American journalism as it used to be practiced by a breed of spirited, witty, brilliant writers and editors dedicated to reporting the truth. Including the trials of Sam Sheppard, Jack Ruby, Charles Manson, Claus Von Bulow, Patty Hearst, John DeLorean, Angela Davis, Sirhan Sirhan, and Son of Sam.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

While many autobiographies characterize life as a series of trials, that assertion is literally true for court reporter Wilson, whose memoir spans five decades of high-profile legal coverage, much of it for the New York Daily News. She organizes her book through the trials she has witnessed, with chapters touching on Charles Manson, Patty Hearst, Jean Harris and Sam Sheppard, among others. But the real story here is Wilson's career. She started out in an era when a male editor commenting on a female colleague's "tits" would get slapped with a cold stare, not a harassment suit, and she betrays a certain nostalgia for that time, its snappy patter and carefree camaraderie. The antics of Wilson's close-knit company of colleagues provide the book's fondest and most humorous-sometimes blackly so-reminiscences: Wilson herself attended a Manson trial fete dressed as "family" member and star witness Linda Kasabian. Between war stories, Wilson offers a primer on the habits of a successful court reporter, lending her memoir considerable interest for those curious about the craft of journalism. Readers seeking any significant new information on the sensational trials Wilson covered, however, won't find it here.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

Entertaining memoirs by a reporter who covered some of the biggest trials of the century, as well as many other great events. Wilson spent most of her career at the New York Daily News when it was the most popular daily newspaper in America. Though assigned to everything from political conventions to space shots, she gained her greatest renown for writing detailed daily accounts of celebrated criminal trials, including that of Confidential Magazine's publishers in the 1950s for invading the privacy of Maureen O'Hara, Dorothy Dandridge, and other stars; the Sam Sheppard and Carl Coppolino trials, which brought F. Lee Bailey to prominence in the 1960s; the prolonged insanity of the Manson Family trials at the beginning of the 1970s; Bailey's losing effort in the case of Patty Hearst, a.k.a. Symbionese Liberation Army guerrilla ``Tania''; and the conviction of girls'-school headmistress Jean Harris for murdering her inconstant lover, diet doctor Herman Tarnower, in the early 1980s. Wilson retired after the Harris trial because, in her view, control of the Daily News had descended to editors who ``neither knew nor cared about how to handle a story as complicated as a trial for a stylish tabloid like the News.'' Wilson's unabated bitterness toward those she considers responsible for her beloved paper's demise may or may not be justified, but the sort of strong, canny editors she lauds throughout her book might have suggested downplaying it a bit here. Nevertheless, it's easy to see why Wilson misses the excitement and camaraderie of a time when the same group of big-name reporters showed up for every major trial, editors gave reporters enough space to provide a full account of a day's events, and ``the idea was to take your job--not yourself--seriously.'' No deeper than one would expect from tabloid journalism, but just as lively and amusing. -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Thunder's Mouth Press (August 13, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156025193X
• ISBN-13: 978-1560251934
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,148,068 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read. Great writing, great stories, & funny, too!, April 6, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Headline Justice: Inside the Courtroom : The Country's Most Controversial Trials (Hardcover)

Theo Wilson was the best reporter of her time, and this book gives her insight into major stories she covered: Jack Ruby, Charles Manson, Patty Hearst and many others. Wilson has a way of making you feel you are right next to her in the courtroom, noticing the details that make a story come alive. When heiress Hearst was on trial, for example, Wilson noted that her millionaire parents sat close to the defense table, but "there never was, during those long weeks, a spontaneous gesture of affection, a hug, a kiss, a hand reached for...They were living through the same nightmare but they could not share its terrors." Theo Wilson was known as the dean of reporters over a 40-year period, most of them for the New York Daily News. Journalists are not held in high regard today, but this book shows how honorable and responsible reporters can be. At the same time, she brings into view the reporter's world while the story is being chased and after the deadlines met. Theo Wilson had many adventures -- some funny, some poignant-- during her career. Reading about them is just plain fun

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Memoir of an Excellent Writer/Reporter, May 22, 2010

By 

Aunt Blabby "Kaye" (Evansville, IN USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Headline Justice: Inside the Courtroom -- The Country's Most Controversial Trials (Paperback)

An excellent book by a reporter who covered this country's hottest criminal trials from the 1950s into the early 1990s. Readers of the old New York Daily News (when it was still a serious newspaper) were fortunate to read Theo Wilson's articles on a regular basis. I feel deprived because I didn't have that opportunity. This book is the next best thing, and it is easily as good as anything Dominick Dunne ever wrote, and I consider him one of my favorite writers. Highly recommended for true crime fans if you can find it.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic! An outstanding book. Read this Now. 10+, April 21, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Headline Justice: Inside the Courtroom : The Country's Most Controversial Trials (Hardcover)

Theo Wilson covered the great trials in this country from the 50's through the 80's. She spent 10 years preparing this book. Sadly, she died just as the promotional tour was scheduled to begin with an appearance on Tom Snyder's show.

Theo's voice, a delight to her many friends, comes through loud and clear. It's hard to decide which is more enjoyable, the many funny annecdotes or the numerous pithy and insightful comments on some of the most famous trials in our lifetimes.

Theo was maybe 5 feet tall, but she was a giant as a writer. She lit up every room she was ever in. She also didn't take any guff. While covering Charlie Manson's trial, he tried to intimidate her during a recess in the trial. She said "Oh, Charlie. Grow up!"

You owe it to yourself to get this book. Ignore the hard-to-get warning. I saw the publisher yesterday (4-20-97) at the LA Times Festival of Books, and they still have plenty of them. Look for Linda Deutsch, Theo's best friend, on the Today show next week. Linda has decided to complete the promotional tour for the book since Theo is unable to. Linda is the AP's premier court reporter. You'll recognize her from the O.J. trial where she was the only journalist not to get kicked out by Judge Ito.