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

National Center for State Courts
300 Newport Avenue
Williamsburg, Virginia 23187-8798
(804) 253-2000 *
Edward 8. McConnell
President February 3, 1988
MEMORANDUM
REF. NO. IS 88.002
BY: Michael A. Haas
RE: TV in the Courts, Evaluation of Experiments
The Information Service was asked to provide information about states
that have conducted experiments with television in the court and have
evaluated such experiments.
In November, 1979, the Florida Judicial Planning Coordination Unit of
the Office of the State Courts Administrator completed A Sample Survey of
The Attitudes of Individuals Associated with Trials Involving Electronic
Media and Still Photography Coverage in Selected Florida Courts Between
July 5, 1977 and June 30, 1978. Copies of the tables of generally
favorable responses from attorneys, witnesses, court personnel and jurors
(pp 22 through 25) and Appendix A, showing the number of responses, are
enclosed. On April 12, 1979 t,he Supreme Court of Florida made permanent
its permission for the coverage and reporting of judicial proceedings by
electronic media, in accordance with adopted standards and subject to the
authority of the presiding judge.
In 1978, Cameras in the Courtroom--A Two-Year Review in The State of
Washington was released by the Washington State Superior Court Judges'
Association Committee on Courts and Community. This generally favorable
report has some negative comments which might have been obviated if the
number of cameras permitted in the courtroom had been reduced.
Nevada experimented with cameras in the courtroom for twelve months
beginning in April 1980. The enclosed final report from The Advisory
Commission on Cameras in the Courtroom, which was submitted to the Nevada
Supreme Court on May 7, 1981, contains generally favorable questionnaire
evaluations and comments.
The report of an 18-month study, Evaluation of California's
Experiment With Extended Media Coverage of Courts, was submitted to the
Administrative Office of the Courts by Ernest H. Short and Associates
Inc. in September 1981. The conclusions and recommendations section is
enclosed. The report states that with strict adherence to the rules
under which the experiment was conducted, there were no significant
adverse consequences from the extended media coverage in the courtroom.
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