To Our Readers, Aug. 28, 1995

The People v. O.J. Simpson has proved to be a trial by ordeal for almost everyone, including reporters. At the center of TIME's trial-coverage team are Elaine Lafferty, who has covered the case since the day after the murders, and Jim Willwerth, who started reporting when the trial began in January. Both have been consumed by the case as it unfolds in the courtroom as well as in the world outside. Senior editor Lee Aitken, who supervises TIME's O.J. coverage, compares the assignment to an overseas posting: "Jim and Elaine have immersed themselves so totally in the language, customs and history...