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Thursday, February 02, 2012

Ind. Courts - Yet more on: A new pilot project allowing web cameras in court rooms to be announced

Updating this ILB entry from Jan. 29th, today the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette has an editorial on the Supreme Court's most recent pilot for trial courts. Some quotes:

The Indiana Supreme Court is trying again. This time it has arranged for an 18-month pilot project allowing a northwest Indiana newspaper to show proceedings via webcast in three Lake County courtrooms.

Even this pilot is arguably too restrictive. Webcasts will be delayed, not live, and the judges will have wide discretion to order a proceeding or portions of a proceeding not to be shown to the public. Parties involved can ask that proceedings not be subject to webcast, though, unlike the previous pilot, they will not have veto power. The judges will “determine in open hearing whether the interests of justice and public education warrant webcasting or not” under the state Supreme Court’s order that sets guidelines for the pilot project. * * *

While four of the court’s five justices approve of the Lake County pilot, Justice Brent Dickson, sadly, disapproves, just as he did before the earlier experiment. In 2006, Dickson wrote: “The possibility of being televised to neighbors and others can be embarrassing or frightening to some, and alluring and captivating to others. The public broadcast of personal or unpleasant information is often a risk to be avoided at all costs. Others are fascinated or energized by the possibility of appearing on television, and will engage in a variety of antics to get camera attention.”

Dickson seems to downplay the fact that courts are open to the public, and Hoosiers have every right to witness what happens in open court. As for witnesses or lawyers playing to the camera, judges are perfectly capable of making sure participants follow strict courtroom protocol.

With the General Assembly on the Web and numerous City Council meetings on cable TV, Hoosiers are able to witness the activities of their legislative branch of government. It’s time Indiana take a step – and this pilot is nothing more than a baby step – toward opening the judicial branch to greater public view.

ILB: Meanwhile, as the ILB noted in the Jan. 29th post, lacking cameras, other alternatives do exist, such as using puppets to reenact courtroom scenes. More on that from NPR's Morning Edition today, which this morning summarizes its 2 min 40 sec audio story:
A high-profile corruption trial in Cleveland is being re-enacted on a local news station using puppets. Cameras are barred from the courtroom so the station has come up with a unique way to show what's been going on in the courtroom. A former county commissioner and seven others face prison terms for a pay-to-play scheme.
A thought. In a number of stories I've read over the years, various judges and justices have argued against cameras in courtrooms, saying that the media might broadcast snippets of the testimony out-of-context. So in Ohio reporters are writing down the testimony and it is performed on TV by puppets. Is this a better option?

Posted by Marcia Oddi on February 2, 2012 09:52 AM
Posted to Indiana Courts