Cameras Going To Court In Indiana

 

By Bryan Corbin
Courier & Press staff writer

(With additional reporting)

EVANSVILLE, IN (May 9, 2006) – A Vanderburgh County courtroom will make history when it becomes one of the first trial courts in Indiana to allow news media cameras inside to record trials and hearings.

Indiana Chief Justice Randall Shepard was announced Tuesday that Vanderburgh Superior Court will be among 8 courts statewide to participate in the cameras-in-the-courtroom pilot project.

While other states allow video and still photography in their trial courts, Indiana does not; longstanding Indiana trial rules forbid it. Shepard, an Evansville native, gradually has relaxed that rule in recent years. In 1997, cameras were first allowed inside hearings of the Indiana Supreme Court and Indiana Court of Appeals. Starting in 2001, both courts offered live Webcasts of their hearings.

But as recently as March, the Indiana Supreme Court turned down a request from the CBS news program "48 Hours" to videotape David Camm's sentencing after his murder trial in Warrick Superior Court 2.

Prohibiting photography in trial courts has been rooted in the concern that it might deprive defendants of fair trials, that it would be distracting for jurors and that attorneys might grandstand for the cameras.

But Vanderburgh Superior Court Judge Wayne Trockman, who will preside over the local pilot project, said he was not concerned. "I have a lot of faith in our (local attorneys) that that's not going to occur, and they're going to be professional and not play to the camera; they're going to play to the jury as they're required to do."

When Shepard approached him some time ago about leading one of the pilot projects, Trockman answered that it can be done in a nondisruptive fashion, he said. The proposed order states the camera cannot show the faces of jurors or of witnesses who are minors, for example, Trockman said.

"This is welcome news," said Mark Hertzberg, director of photography for The Journal Times in Racine, WI, who is an NPPA member and a former NPPA board member. Hertzberg is also the media coordinator for Wisconsin's cameras in court program, a role he's been in since 1978. "As photojournalists we are the eyes and ears of our readers and viewers. We welcome the opportunity to give them a better understanding of what may be the least understood branch of government. Our success in Wisconsin with cameras in the court since 1978 shows that the concept can, indeed, work if it is administered under the kinds of guidelines that we have in the state."

"It is imperative that journalists realize that photo coverage in court is a privilege, not an automatic right, and treat court proceedings respectfully rather than just another press conference or photo opportunity," Hertzberg added. "That includes following the rules, and dressing appropriately in court. And we should also recognize that this is an opportunity to offer broad coverage of the state's courts rather than limiting coverage only to sensational criminal cases."

Joseph Costa, one of NPPA's founders in 1946 who served as its president and chairman of the board of directors for many years, was a strong advocate for cameras in courts. He led a crusade to get photographic access to courtrooms on an equal footing with reporters. A New York newspaper photographer for most of his four-decade career, he retired in 1985 after teaching journalism at Ball State University in Muncie, IN. Costa had continued his courtroom camera crusade in Indiana while teaching, and Ball State University still sponsors the annual Joseph Costa Courtroom Photography Award. Hertzberg is the award's first three-time winner.

Indiana's pilot cameras in court program requires that news organizations reach agreement with the court ahead of time for operating cameras and recording equipment "in a way that does not affect or disrupt the proceedings," Trockman said. He anticipated a media pool arrangement where one television camera in the courtroom would provide the video feed for all TV stations interested in covering the trial, with a separate arrangement for a still camera. The pilot project is separate from an effort under way to install closed-circuit cameras in Vanderburgh County Misdemeanor Court, so inmates can be arraigned remotely by video without having to leave the county jail. David Rector, director of the city-county Building Authority that operates the Civic Center and Courts Building, said the two-way camera system is to start later this month.

Shepard announced the news-camera pilot project Tuesday in Vanderburgh Superior Court, where he once presided as a county judge before being appointed to the Indiana Supreme Court in 1985. The Hoosier State Press Association and Indiana Broadcasters Association requested the pilot program.

© 2006 Evansville Courier & Press, republished with permission.

NPPA Marketplace

Insure Your Equipment

You go where the action is….so should your insurance! Hays delivers comprehensive insurance for your gear - covering cameras, computers, editing equipment and rental.

Join the NPPA

NPPA members receive a wide range of benefits, from educational opportunities to mentoring, exclusive discounts, insurance options, business tips, and much more.