Hannity contacted by shooter

Associated Press

NEW YORK

Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity has become the second cable news host whose involvement in the Trayvon Martin shooting case has gone beyond merely talking about it on the air.

Hannity acknowledged having a conversation with a man he believed to be George Zimmerman, who shot and killed the black Florida teenager Feb. 26 in a case that has ignited racial tensions. Zimmerman’s former lawyers, in quitting the case Tuesday, noted that their client had talked to Hannity more recently than with them.

Hannity, who last week interviewed Zimmerman’s father on Fox, said there has been a “rush to judgment” about the shooter.

Over on MSNBC, Al Sharpton has participated in marches and demonstrations in support of Martin while continuing to discuss the case on his evening talk show. There have been stark differences in the attention and focus on the case at the two networks.

Zimmerman was arrested and charged with second-degree murder on Wednesday. He turned himself in and arrived at jail in Sanford, Fla., where the shooting took place. Cable networks ramped up their coverage to make note of the news.

Hannity’s involvement in the case came to light Tuesday at a news conference held by Zimmerman’s former lawyers, Hal Uhrig and Craig Sonner. Hannity, who said on his show Tuesday night that he’s been pursuing a Zimmerman interview for weeks, said he was contacted Monday by a man he believes was Zimmerman.

“He reached out to me, we spoke on the phone about his case and I agreed not to report on the contents of that conversation,” Hannity said.

On his radio show Monday, Hannity said he had confirmed that Zimmerman was a mentor to minority children. “Now, if you were racist, I don’t think you’d be a mentor to minority children,” he said.

With Uhrig and Sonner present, Hannity last week on Fox interviewed Zimmerman’s father, Robert. the case.