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

VI. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
A. Summary of Analysis and Findings
California's experiment with extended media coverage (EMC)
of court proceedings was evaluated by an 18 month study
during which data were collected for over one year. A multi-
faceted data collection approach was employed, relying upon
interviews with court proceeding participants, evaluator
observations of EMC events, and general attitudinal surveys
to judges, attorneys, and jurors. For baseline comparative
purposes, observational data were collected from conventional-
only media coverage court proceedings. Attitudinal data were
collected before, during, and after the one year period to
measure shifts in attitude over time, and survey respondents
were grouped into direct EMC experienced and no EMC experience
groups to determine the effects of experience on attitude..
The research focused on two major evaluation questions.
The first question asked whether or not the "physical pres-
ence" of EMC equipment and operators caused distraction,
disruption, or impairment to dignity and decorum in the
courtroom. The second question centered on participant
behavior --was that behavior altered by EMC presence in a
manner which threatened the fair administration of justice?
The evaluators formulated a comprehensive list of potential
negative EMC effects related to the two major evaluation
questions and determined the content of data collection
instruments accordingly.
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