TV or Not TV

About this book

TV or Not TV argues convincingly that society gains much more than it loses when trials are open to public scrutiny and discussion. To support his verdict, legal expert Ronald L. Goldfarb serves up a lively, analytical history of excessively publicized court cases, from the eighteenth century to O. J. Simpson, including the raucous 1935 trial of Bruno Hauptmann for the kidnapping of the Lindbergh 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. He also presents all available studies on the subject, gathering together for the first time all the 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 demonstrates that, even in a post-O.J. world, we must 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, Goldfarb here makes an incontrovertible case for cameras in the courtroom.