TV or not TV : television, justice, and the courts / Ronald L. Goldfarb.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Goldfarb, Ronald L.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Conduct of court proceedings--United States.

Conduct of court proceedings.

Free press and fair trial--United States.

Free press and fair trial.

United States.

Physical Description:

xxiv, 238 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : New York University Press, [1998]

Summary:

In the last quarter century, televised court proceedings have gone from an outlandish idea to a seemingly inevitable reality. Yet, debate continues to rage over the dangers and benefits to the justice system of cameras in the courtroom. Critics contend television transforms the temple of justice into crass theater. Supporters maintain that silent cameras portray "the real thing", that without them judicial reality is inevitably filtered through the subjective minds and pens of a finite pool of reporters.

While television in a courtroom is clearly a double-edged sword, both invasive and informative, TV or Not TV argues convincingly that society gains much more than it loses. To support his verdict, legal expert Ronald Goldfarb offers a lively analytical history of highly publicized court cases from the eighteenth century to O. J. Simpson. These include the raucous 1935 trial of Bruno Hauptman for the kidnapping of the Lindberg baby and the infamous 1954 trial of Dr. Sam Sheppard, the Cleveland physician whose conviction for the murder of his pregnant wife was reversed on the basis of press interference. Goldfarb also presents all available studies on the subject, gathering together for the first time all existing scientific evidence on the impact of cameras on trial practices. Revealing the potential of the televised court as a classroom, Goldfarb also tells the story of the popular Court TV, an imaginative and successful mix of law and communications media.

TV or Not TV demands that we not lose sight of the fact that concerns about the perceived conflict between the media and the courts are cyclical and inevitable. Vigorously defending the public's right to know, Ronald Goldfarbhere makes an incontrovertible case for cameras in the courtroom.

Contents:

The trial of the century

The free press, the fair and public trial : a constitutional conundrum

Cameras in the courts : the experiment

A thing observed, a thing changed : what is the impact of television on trials?

The crucible : court TV

Conclusion : TV or not TV.

Notes:

"A Twentieth Century Fund book."

Includes bibliographical references (pages 209-229) and index.

ISBN:

0814731120

OCLC:

37878753