Geraldo Rivera’s Predictions

FOX Newser Geraldo Rivera has been known to be wrong in the past.

Remember the “Al Capone’s Vault” debacle?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P84OKTUx6LY

And his prediction the day before the Oct. 3, 1995, O.J. Simpson murder-trial verdicts that the fallen football/celebrity star would be convicted?

http://books.google.com/books?id=2Uc-3lMzBlIC&pg=PT456&lpg=PT456&dq=Geraldo+Rivera+predicts+O.J.+Simpson+guilty&source=bl&ots=_Jtk73PQ5f&sig=tgjKSBrztBIXlyZBuH2Ptp4jKtY&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ZbXNUavZFMmLyAHiqIHgAg&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

Well, he’s at it again.

‘Opposite Of O.J.’: Geraldo Predicts Zimmerman ‘Will Be Acquitted’ Because Of Almost ‘All-White Jury’

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/opposite-of-o-j-geraldo-predicts-zimmerman-will-be-acquitted-because-of-almost-all-white-jury/

I wonder if this prediction will improve his odds of being wrong.

Here’s some of what he’s basing his guess on as quoted from the “Mediaite” website report:

“Rivera said that this was due to the racial element in the case and the fact that the majority of jurors are white women who cannot relate to the prosecution’s witnesses like Martin’s friend, Rachel Jeantel.”

What has always stuck with me is my encounter with Rivera during the 1995 O.J. Simpson criminal trial, on which Anatomy of a Trial is based on. It was atypical of everything I had heard and seen about him.

Here is an excerpt of March 17th entry of the audio journal I kept during the trial:

“This was Geraldo Rivera day in the OJ Simpson courtroom and in Judge Ito’s chambers. I was impressed. Not by the celebrity but by something of a little a departure from his public image. He was a gentlemen, he was unobtrusive, low profile, not grand standing, not spotlight grabbing. He was asked to come to the 12th floor to get his seat pass and he did, he sat in a chair over in a corner by himself and waited until I got up there.”

My narrative is interrupted by mention of one of the many bomb scares that occurred during that trial, then picks up again.

“So, Geraldo was apparently in the building before it was shut down and he got his pass, went down to the 9th floor, waited along with everybody else for the court proceedings to begin, which they didn’t do because not all the attorneys were there. Once they did get there, there were more in chamber proceedings, this time having to do with juror issues, which has been the case the last several days. A juror was dismissed. …

“So, I imagine it was 10:20 or later before they actually got started in the courtroom. Geraldo came in and got his seat, it was the worst seat in the house, I told him it was not going to be a good one and that I was sorry we couldn’t do better for him, the trial is the hottest ticket in town these days. So, I in fact, kicked King World out of there. They were supposed to have the rotating seat for the day and Jeremy Lewis, from Kingworld was very nice about it and we scheduled him in for Monday. Geraldo was very attentive during the proceedings, not looking around to see who was looking at him but truly taking in what was going on. I gave him a note while court was in session asking him to meet me in the hallway at the noon recess, I wanted to take him in another way where it wasn’t quite as obvious that he was going to be going back to meet the judge. That was simply because the judge gets so much criticism for meeting media stars, never mind that he meets almost anyone else who requests to meet him, all the way down to cub scouts. So, the meeting was very cordial, they talked about a variety of things. He was an absolute gentleman with me, holding doors open for me and making sure that I went ahead of him.”

To my knowledge, he never violated the condition that everything said while meeting with Ito was off the record — unlike some other media-types who did violate that condition.