The push to open all courtrooms to visual media is of particular concern in criminal cases. Cameras in the courtroom are an extreme overreaction to the current push for transparency, threatening to diminish independence and fairness in the criminal justice system.
The Committee on Access to Judicial Proceedings is recommending a two-year pilot program in a single judicial district allowing all forms of media (still and video cameras, audio recordings) during all aspects of criminal trials, including sentencing. To prevent coverage, anyone affected by it — a party, a witness, the family of the victim — must actively seek such restrictions. Such coverage is a bad idea and should not be allowed even in a pilot program.
