ow that both sides have admitted a crush of worldwide media attention helped former Tampa teacher Debra Lafave land a plea deal that avoided prison time for seducing a 14-year-old boy, two questions remain.

Was the constant media coverage, which eventually convinced the victim's family to go along with the plea deal, part of the defense's strategy all along? And should media outlets have tried harder to avoid becoming the biggest factor in a case they were supposed to only observe?

"To try to use (media interest) to make it more difficult for the victims' family to go through this process made sense from a tactical standpoint," said Hillsborough prosecutor Mike Sinacore, noting that Lafave attended many hearings in the case, ensuring cameras would capture her every move. "(But) I don't think even (Lafave attorney John Fitzgibbons) could anticipate all of the twists and turns and intensity of the media coverage."

Fitzgibbons declined to comment directly on how the media might have impacted the family. He did say, however, that the media coverage "was by far the most critical factor of the entire case," highlighting how criminal law tactics must change in a media-drenched world.

"In years past, generally, defense lawyers would have little or no comment (on high-profile cases)," Fitzgibbons said. "In the last decade, with the proliferation of 24-hour news, the Internet and the large press departments of the police departments, you cannot effectively represent your client unless you can represent that client in the court of public opinion."

That court reached far and wide, with Lafave stories featured on Web sites in Russia and China, and newspapers in Australia and Canada. Last December, the New York Post published a full-page photo of Lafave modeling a bikini beside a motorcycle; in July 2004, the British tabloid newspaper News of the World published the name and school photo of her victim.

"Every time a story aired the attention on the victim's family escalated," said Sinacore, who nevertheless gave most mainstream media coverage high marks.

"What the victim's family said, was every time this came up the boy would get harassed at school," he said. "If you had to sit back and just from a societal point of view, (ask) what impact does the media have by putting such focus on this case when a young boy is going to be affected, that's the balancing act."

Still, the combination of factors - her beauty, her handsome ex-husband and a past that included a lesbian relationship - made saturation coverage inevitable.

"I fully admit I was one of the ones eating from the trough on this one," said WFLZ-93.3 FM radio personality M.J. Kelli, who featured photos of the bikini-clad Lafave on his show's web site. "I am in the provocative broadcast business and I am going to give people what they want. This was a very steamy story."

MSNBC host Joe Scarborough personified the media paradox this week, railing against the plea deal while perpetuating the news coverage that helped seal it.

"Sex offenders from Maine to San Diego have been sent a message that if they pick the right victim the prosecutors are going to throw their hands up," said Scarborough, while the channel displayed a headline reading "Sex Teacher Walks."

A spokeswoman for MSNBC said Scarborough was too busy to comment after the show. But Matthew Felling, media director for the Center for Media and Public Affairs, criticized such sensationalistic elements.

"Why is she the sex teacher?" Felling said. "When people report on male pedophiles, words are tossed around like 'predator' or 'mental illness.' In the stories about Lafave, I saw words like 'bombshell' and 'romp.' If we want to report on pedophiles responsibly . . . we need to make the reporting gender neutral."

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