Trials & Litigation

TV Station Lampoons Corruption Trial with Puppet Court Re-Enactment

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Viewers eager for information about the corruption trial of a former Cuyahoga County commissioner can’t watch the proceedings because of a ban on cameras in court.

But viewers can watch a nightly puppet re-enactment aired by WOIO, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. The puppets’ lines come from daily testimony and wiretaps in the trial of Jimmy Dimora.

WOIO news director Dan Salamone told the Plain Dealer that the station broadcasts important news of the trial during the first 10 minutes of nightly coverage, then airs puppet re-enactments after its 11 p.m. broadcasts. The puppets show viewers “the more absurd aspects of the trial,” he said.

In the first puppet segment on Tuesday, the defendant jokes about the possibility of contracting a sexually transmitted disease during a trip to Las Vegas.

Hat tip to Pat’s Papers.

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