Britain - Televised court cases to be approved

Author: Voice 1Published: Jun 20, 2005 at 6:26 am 0 comments

According to this article, from the Sunday Times, Lord Falconer seems set to announce that cameras will be allowed in to televise high profile appeals at the Royal Courts of Justice.

I think this is a slippery slope, and we shouldn't go down this route. These cases affect people's lives, and shouldn't be televised, as the broadcasters will no doubt sensationalise cases even more than they do now:

However, the cameras will not be allowed into lower courts. Ministers believe there should be a ban on the filming of witnesses because of concerns over intimidation or playing to the camera.

Such a bar would prevent Britain going down the same route as America, where show trials such as that of the football star OJ Simpson, who was cleared of the murder of his wife, have been screened.

The decision to allow in the cameras follows a six-week pilot project. Cherie Booth, the prime minister’s wife, was among the lawyers filmed and another televised appeal case involved the dispute between Hello! and rival magazine OK! over the pictures of the wedding of Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

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