1989-03-24 Comments of Star Tribune.pdf - Minnesota Judicial Branch

DICIAL PROCEED?NGS AUDIO-VISUAL COVERAGE
AN ACT to amend the judiciary law, in relation to audio visual
coverage of judicial proceedings.
B 1. Legislative Findings.
The legislature finds that an enhanced public
understanding of the judicial system is important in maintaining
a high level of public confidence in the judiciary. Public
awareness and understanding of judicial proceedings have often
been limited to the role played as a juror, witness, or party in
a small claims proceeding. The average law-abiding citizen is
not afforded numerous opportunities to participate in civil and
criminal court proceedings, or able to attend and observe
firsthand the functioning of our legal system. The vast
majority of citizens, therefore, rely on reports in the news
media for information about the judicial system and accounts of
judicial proceedings.
The legislature further finds that, because .of
inadequate technology, state policy in the past has been to
prohibit representatives of the news media from providing
audiovisual coverage of court proceedings. It was the
experience of an earlier generation that bright lights, large
cameras and other noisy equipment intruded upon the dignity and
decorum of the courtroom and tended to create an atmosphere
unsuited to calm deliberation and impartial decisionmaking.