Tabloids on Trial

04/04/24 • 60 min

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In 1957, California declared war on a tabloid magazine. Confidential Magazine was the most powerful gossip magazine in the country, with millions of readers and the ability to make or break stars' careers. Movie studios hated the magazine and politicians worried that it was ruining the country's morals. When California charged Confidential with publishing libel and obscenity, many cheered. But others worried about what this case meant for free speech...

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In 1881, President James Garfield was assassinated by a man named Charles Guiteau. The American public, understandably, wanted vengeance. But as the government began to prepare for Guiteau’s trial, a problem emerged: Guiteau, some experts believed, was insane, and might not have been responsible for his actions. Could justice be achieved in a case like this? Guiteau's dramatic trial put that question to the test...

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History on Trial - Tabloids on Trial

Transcript

Speaker 100:00:01.040

You're listening to History on Trial, a production of iHeart Podcasts. Listener discretion advised. On the evening of November fifth, nineteen fifty four, Florence Cotts got ready for bed as usual, a thirty seven year old secretary living on Quiet Wearing Avenue in West Hollywood, Los Angeles. Cotts put her curlers in, slipped under the covers, and turned off the lights. It was a Friday, so maybe she even planned to sleep in the next day, but she