Attorneys for WFOR, WTVJ and the Miami Herald opposed a gag order issued today by Miami-Dade Circuit Judge John Schlesinger in the case of Michael Hernandez who’s accused of stabbing a classmate in a Southwood Middle School bathroom.
”The case needs to be tried in this courtroom, not in the newspaper or on television,”
The media is free to publish names and photos of the jurors and it seems it’s also okay to show video of the jury selection process which WSVN just showed in a report about the trial.
Well, the gag order would ensure that the trial is fair, but at the same time, the public has a right to know what is going on in the courtroom. It’s interesting that WPLG and WSVN didn’t object to the gag order. I wonder why that occurred. I guess the reason that WFOR and WTVJ are fighting this is because their ratings are so low, they want as much news coverage as they can get their hands on. We’ll have to wait and see how this plays out as to if the gag order against the media is lifted or not.
Or maybe for and tvj are fighting it because they have balls?
I believe the gag order is to prevent statements made outside the courtroom, not the proceedings inside. I would take this over to sports as well. Stop clogging lockerrooms while these steroid cases are trying to shower and dress, and report on the game or event itself. “Let the play say the thing.” That should apply in sports, in court, everywhere. There are very few reporters working today who are capable of analysis anyway, so just give the facts and get out of the way, without allowing this spinning that lawyers get paid extremely well to do.
Chuck, That’s rubbish. Here’s some names: Gary Nelson, Ileana Varela, Michael Williams, Michael Putney, Hank Tester, Jim DeFede, and that’s just off the top of my head. They don’t always get the chance, but they certainly have the skills. As for gag orders, judges are paid to officiate in the courtroom, not to control what people say outside the confines of their domain. The media challenges these not for ratings but because everytime some elected official attempts to abridge the constitution, someone needs to slap em silly. These judges are elected by voters who don’t know them, and remain in office almost by inertia by people who just pick a name, or worse yet, don’t vote because they don’t know the candidates. People complain when the media doesn’t take a stand, and complain when it does.
wsvn does not agree with the gag order…they’re just not willing to pay a media attorney the money to sit in court and argue against it…
insider is probably right. most local stations don’t want to get the lawyers involved. it gets real expensive for them and isn’t worth it. locals don’t have a staff attorney sitting around the building.
and lets be honest. when it comes to trials like this it’s all about the video, the sensationalism of the story, the teases, the crying family members etc. i have never been in a newsroom where a trial was covered big or small and there was ever anything uttered bout the public’s right to know. those conversations just don’t happen.
chuck is right to some degree about the reporters. the others that Plex mentions have experience, but most named aren’t the ones that sit in run of the mill murder trials or any trial for that matter. putney may have in his younger days but he is not a GA guy.
Does Defede even daily report? i don’t think so. i know he works a knife and fork pretty good though. his weight is too distracting to listen to him when he is on the tube anyway. he makes you want to put a gun to your head.
Plex, everyone you named is a fave of mine. Michael Williams was let go from 6 to make room for whom, Tisha Lewis? That’s my point. I am so old I wish you all could remember when the radio news in this town was amazing, guys like Steve Daily, Ken Taylor, etc. Oh well, back to Cartoon Network.
Chuck, that’s why 4 hired him. But in their case, Gary Nelson will likely cover the trial. Insider2, if you A) had anything to do with a newsroom and b) watched the news, you’d know that GA folks are not the only ones to handle big stories. Chuck just claimed nobody out there could handle the nuances, and I supplied the names of people who can. And as for your sad remark about Defede, have you noticed how much weight he’s lost? So much 4 had to change his picture. But if you were truly in the biz, you’d care more about his journalism talent than his skill with a knife and fork. Talk about shallow. Shame on you, as Al Sunshine might say.