Should I talk to the media about my case…won’t it help get people’s attention??

My strong opinion is that you SHOULD NOT speak to the media about your court-martial or other military case.  Could it get you some attention if you do?  Sure, but it is usually not positive attention.  One of the reasons I advise against it is because like when you speak to an investigator, your words could be held against you.  You might be sitting at your court-martial only to hear your own words to the press used as evidence against you, despite your best intentions.  Another reason is because the media tends to display short snippets of interviews, they don’t usually play an interview from start to finish.  Playing only short segments of interviews can sometimes cause one’s words to be taken out of context.  Finally, the complete interviews, even that portion unaired, may be discoverable by your opposing counsel.  Recently, in the Naval Academy case involving the alleged sexual assault of a female by midshipmen football players, the military judge ordered two television networks to release complete interviews of the alleged victim to an alleged assailant’s attorney.  In that case, talking to the media may work against the alleged victim in that court-martial.  The tables can be just as easily turned.  If an accused servicemember decides to speak out to the media about his or her upcoming court-martial, a military judge may order networks to release that interview to the government as well.  Bottom line, do not speak to the media before speaking to an experienced attorney.  You need to know your options and get some good advice prior to making any moves in your upcoming court-martial or other adverse proceedings.  To speak to an experienced court-martial and military defense attorney, call Bill Cassara at 706-860-5769 for a free consultation.