In addition to being a member of the media, I am also a student and harsh critic of this profession. Oftentimes, I question not only what gets reported, but how it gets reported. And we definitely deserve a lot of the criticism we get. But not all of it.

When the verdict for the Casey Anthony trial came down, like many Americans, I turned to the talking heads on TV, one of which was Fox News' Bernard Goldberg. Goldberg worked for CBS for 25 years and hit it big with his 2001 book Bias, which explains how the media distorts the news.

On Goldberg's website he penned the following: “Not all trials involving young women and their dead little girl make for good TV.  For instance, if Casey Anthony were a black woman with a black baby, the TV networks wouldn’t have given the story 10 minutes, from beginning to end.  Remember, this was a true crime drama about, Casey, the girl next door.  The white girl next door, with the cute little white dead kid.”

He went on to say, “And if there wasn’t any video of the adorable little girl, you wouldn’t have seen much of the trial on TV, either.  TV rule #1:  You must have video if you want to get on the air. And if Casey was fat.  Or ugly, with a big pimple on her nose.  No way they’d cover that trial.  It’s also against the rules.”

What pains me most about his opinion is that much of it was correct. But he was drastically oversimplifying the issue.

There are hundreds if not thousands of toddlers killed every year in the United States. Understandably, the media cannot devote heavy coverage to each one. We must choose the best stories to cover. And that decision is simply based on one thing, ratings.

In order to survive as an industry, we must focus on the absence of normalcy within everyday life. The media look for stories that fit a specific quality that is both unique, yet realistic. We look for headlines that emotionally involve the viewers, ensuring they keep tuning in.

The Casey Anthony trial had fit the mold perfectly. It afforded viewers the opportunity to become jurors and pick sides. They could follow the trial and review the evidence. Then they could decide her level of guilt and determine what punishment would fit. It's reality theater at its best.

Mr. Goldberg was correct. This story did involve an attractive white woman and a cute white child. And the “girl next door” factor was appealing. But there are also interesting aspects of this story that drew people in. There was no murder weapon. No cause of death. No motive. No father. Plus this young woman, who partied with her daughter still missing, faced execution. This was too interesting not to cover.

Yes, the video of the child was a factor. But video is our hook to get people interested. Poignant or shocking footage is a major factor in ratings. Whether pundits want to admit it or not, people are intrigued by it. And we'd be foolish not to meet that demand when possible.

The media's decision to follow this story had little to do with an agenda as Goldberg suggested. This story was driven by viewer devotion. Certain shows, such as Nancy Grace, recorded their highest ratings, ever, following the verdict. We gave the viewers what they wanted. If the woman – as Goldberg put it – were fat, ugly or had a big pimple on her nose and people watched, it would still have made headlines just the same.

Viewers were the reason this story got so much attention, not the media.

Chris Papst is a two-time Emmy Award winning reporter for CBS-21 news. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter @chrispapst.