The high-profile case of rapper Megan Thee Stallion and rapper Tory Lanez became an enormous moment in the world of hip-hop. Behind the scenes, Meghann Cuniff, a courthouse reporter for the website lawandcrime.com, was having her own moment on social media.
Cuniff, who was nicknamed “Meghann The Reporter” by internet fans, covered the rapper’s trial at the Los Angeles Superior Courthouse in Downtown Los Angeles. She used X, formerly known as Twitter, for her reports that caught the attention of an online crowd.
She tells KCRW her life changed after she saw her name trending online. At the time, she was heading by train to San Clemente when she noticed her phone wouldn’t stop buzzing.
“I was getting so much attention and so many replies on Twitter. It was just a little overwhelming.”
As someone not accustomed to glitz and glam, the Oregon native wanted to deliver accurate courtroom reporting that was easy for readers to digest.
“I think part of it was just my ability to quickly relay what was going on in the courtroom. I didn't know all the drama's backstory.”
She says her previous coverage attracted readers such as lawyers and other legal affairs professionals. Now passionate hip-hop fans are part of that audience.
Cuniff now embraces her fame, including fans who share memes about her hairstyle. The reporter has maintained a bob during the trial, which she calls her “courtroom look.” The bob is a sort of Batman signal for her — followers tag her with a picture of the hairstyle to inform her about a new high-profile celebrity case. However, that style isn’t what she sports daily.
Black Celebs: *In legal trouble*
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“I'll actually get text messages from friends who see them. And they're like, ‘Hey, have you seen this?’ And that's how I got the one about DJ Envy. I can't really ignore this stuff. I gotta respond to the fan base.”
Cuniff’s work also includes non-celebrity legal cases. Her website is a collage of lawsuits she has covered since 2014.
Ultimately, she says her goal is helping people understand complicated court cases.
“It was just a lot of people saying, ‘Thank you, thank you for being non-biased.’ I'm like, ‘This is kind of awesome.’ And it felt good.”