Trial cameras work, lawyers agree

Cameras in the courtroom during a high-profile trial are helpful to everyone, a local attorney said Friday in a forum discussion on the balance between media access and the right to a fair trail.

Attorney John Barnett ? part of the defense team in the sex-assault trial of Greg Haidl and two others ? was one of three panelists at the first in a series of discussions presented by the Orange County Superior Court and the Orange County Bar Assn.

The media’s need for information and the court’s efforts to maintain the right to a fair trial creates a conflict, panelists said during Friday’s forum at the Superior Courthouse in Santa Ana.

High-profile trials such as those of Scott Peterson and Michael Jackson attract members of the media in droves ? an estimated 2,300 reporters from 35 countries descended upon the Santa Barbara County courthouse to cover the Jackson trial, said panel moderator Judge Franz Miller.

The media and the court operate in different ways. Media outlets prefer a “swirl” approach of chaotic, immediate coverage, and the courts prefer a process, said panelist Peter Shaplen, a media consultant who worked on both the Jackson and Peterson trials.

Courts often judge the media based only on a handful of loud television programs and tabloid print publications, Shaplen said.

Shaplen and Barnett agreed that allowing cameras in the courtroom creates less room for speculation and sends the most accurate message to the public.

But such open access for media can create the potential for information to reach and influence the jury ? something that the court has an obligation to prevent, said panelist Darrel Parker, the assistant executive officer of the Santa Barbara County Court.

As for court players in a high-profile case dealing with media inquiries, Barnett and Shaplen again agreed that openness is key.

“One of the great rules of all is feed the beast. If you can say something, do say something,” Shaplen said.

As a high-profile trial attorney, Barnett said he’s always open to media interviews. It’s a myth that defense lawyers don’t deal with the press, Barnett said.

“I think that we should encourage and not fear coverage, and that we should be open to talking to the press,” Barnett said.

Offering a “no comment” response to the press should be avoided, Barnett and Shaplen agreed.

“I think that ‘no comment’ is editorial death,” Shaplen said.

“I think that if you say ‘no comment,’ it’s like saying ‘my client’s guilty, now get out of here,’ ” Barnett said.