Cole Goldberg on KTAL: Public Opinion vs. Justice

In a November 2026 interview with KTAL News (NBC 6) in Shreveport, Louisiana, Cole Goldberg, a national advocate for fair trials and due process, discussed whether a fair trial is still possible in a country that consumes criminal cases as true crime content. Cole spent nearly four years fighting a nationally covered case before a judge found him not guilty on all counts in March 2026. He chose a bench trial in part because of how much online content surrounded his case.

Watch the interview and read the full story on KTAL News →

In his words

"Headlines are not evidence. The court of public opinion has no rules of evidence at all. People will just read the headlines and not follow through to the end."

"Since day one with the national headlines and a mugshot circulating everywhere. I mean, I just faced the court of public opinion like crazy."

"It's pretty much impossible to avoid. You have to probably be living under a rock in today's day and age."

Key points Cole raised

Headlines, viral clips and online theories can shape public opinion long before any evidence is presented in court.
When a case is everywhere online, it becomes harder to seat jurors who have not already formed an opinion, and harder to keep jurors from researching the case on their own.
Content moves much faster than the court process, which gives allegations months or years to spread before a trial begins.
Cole credited the content creators who did their due diligence while his case was pending.

Why this conversation matters

The Sixth Amendment guarantees every defendant an impartial jury. As more criminal cases become viral entertainment, courts, journalists and creators all share responsibility for making sure verdicts rest on the evidence presented in court, not on what trended online.

Interview details

Outlet: KTAL News (NBC 6), Shreveport, Louisiana
Published: November 13, 2026
Topic: True crime culture, online bias and the right to an impartial jury
Article: Read on KTAL News