Book Review: Cameras in the Courtroom: Television and the Pursuit of Justice

• DOI: 10.1177/0734016806295591
• Author: David N. Khey
• Published date: 01 December 2006
• Date: 01 December 2006
• Subject Matter: Articles

Cohn, M., & Dow, D. (2002). Cameras in the Courtroom: Television and the Pursuit of

Justice. New York: Rowman & Littlefield.

DOI: 10.1177/0734016806295591

Just over a decade has passed since the “trial of the century” indoctrinated legions of

Americans glued to their television sets to the realities of the American courtroom.

California’s case against football star and B-movie actor O. J. Simpson also spawned this

informative and timely book, which presents the pros and cons of allowing or selectively

denying television coverage to all levels and types of American trials. The design of the vol-

ume is such that it takes the reader step by step through the point and counterpoint of the

current debate on the issue of televised trials and hearings in a carefully balanced manner.

This is craftily executed by proffering selections of interviews from a wide spectrum of trial

participants and individuals with a stake in either allowing or denying television access to

the courts; reviewing high-profile cases that have or have not been televised; and weaving

in a thorough, but not exhaustive, review of literature. Thus, this book is targeted for under-

graduates, laymen who find this topic fascinating, and academics with little or no previous

background in this discourse.

Following a contemporaneous review of the issue and how the Simpson case energized

it in chapter 1, the authors give a hearty background and history of cameras in the court-

room beyond the technology of still cameras in chapter 2. Here, the governing case law,

landmark Supreme Court verdicts, and the American Bar Association guidelines are

mapped over the years up to the current state of the art. The authors carefully guide the

reader through complicated legal battles while divulging some of the more interesting

aspects of each case, keeping their audience captivated.

Chapters 3 and 4 expose the grist of the debate inherent in the conflicts between the

defendant and the press, which the latter are described as the surrogate for the public.

Chapter 3 primarily follows the rights of the defendant, particularly the Sixth Amendment

right of the accused to be guaranteed a fair trial. This right may readily be in conflict with

another Sixth Amendment right, the right to a public trial, which is introduced in chapter 3

and vastly expanded upon in chapter 4. Also introduced in chapter 3 and elaborated on in

chapter 4 are the citizens’ First Amendment right to access the courts and right to a free

press, and their conflict with the rights of the accused. In this section, the authors clearly

detail each of the benefits and compromises made to the accused and to the public when

the choice is made to include or exclude television coverage.

Following one of the leading arguments against cameras in the courtroom, the authors

dissect the current research and discourse on whether the televising of hearings and trials

inherently changes the procedural process in chapter 5. Personal experiences of intervie-

wees suggest that cameras may have a positive effect and offer prophylaxis. Whether cam-

eras alter the behavior of expert and lay witnesses, jurors, and counsel is examined

alongside posited changes in the process including the lengthening of trial time and

increased taxpayer burden.

Chapter 6 examines the issue of the duality that may exist with high-profile cases that

are televised: The authors suggest that the court of public opinion may or may not be in

conflict with a court of law, but somehow the two are never quite on the same page. When

trials are saturated in media coverage before and during a major case, the authors contend

388 Criminal Justice Review