As noted in Chapter 1, PIOs are appointed within law enforcement divisions to provide a liaison between the police and the press. Maintaining a working relationship with the PIOs in your area (remember, there will be one for the city police, another for the county sheriff, and so forth) is key to covering crime. Of course, monitoring police frequencies on the scanner, performing beat checks, and reviewing the police activity logs are also important.
The process doesn’t stop once there is an arrest. After the suspect is arrested, the local district attorney (DA) will file charges; a rookie mistake is to say that police have charged a suspect with a crime. They don’t. Remember that police arrest, the DA charges.
Because covering the courts is a specialization unto itself, the following is a brief overview of what you may expect when you’re called upon to cover a courtroom case. Remember that no two courts are alike, as judges may insti- tute gag orders or move into closed session. Also, military courts operate under a different code and typically do not allow video cameras, thus necessitating the need for a courtroom sketch artist. Finally, despite the constitutional right of a speedy trial, the word “speedy” means different things to different people.
Depositions, evidence discovery, pretrial motions, testimony, trials, and appeals can lead to endless days of courtroom tedium and possibly years of story coverage for a single case.
The courts
Those arrested by police wind up in criminal court unless the defendants are younger than 16 years old, who are then handled by the juvenile courts.
Domestic relations courts also get some cases involving marital disputes.
A second court system, the civil courts, handles noncriminal matters—civil suits between individuals, between individuals and corporations and other institutions, and between two or more companies. These suits, for the most part, are about money. Someone wants payment for damages. It could be for libel, an unpaid bill, shoddy workmanship, an auto-accident injury, or numer- ous other reasons.
Federal courts deal with matters that in one way or another involve the federal government or federal laws. This section concentrates on the courts that most reporters cover—criminal and civil.
Criminal courts
Depending on the state, city, or town involved, a variety of court procedures take place before a defendant comes to trial. In small communities, a defen- dant may appear first before a justice of the peace, or he or she may appear in a county court. The defendant could be released on bail or remanded to
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jail to await a court hearing. In minor cases, a judge may hear the case and render a verdict, unless the defendant requests a jury trial.
In cities, the defendant usually is brought first to a police station, where he or she is booked, formally charged, photographed, and fingerprinted. Depending on the time of day of the arrest and booking, the defendant appears in court the same day or the next, where he or she enters a plea and is released on bail or sent back to jail to await arraignment and the setting of a trial date. More serious crimes are sometimes turned over to a grand jury, which examines the evidence and decides whether the accused should be indicted and stand trial or be released.
If the defendant is a celebrity, radio and TV reporters usually cover the court appearances, even if the charge is relatively minor. More serious crimes, such as rape or homicide, draw a crowd of reporters. As noted earlier, because so many killings take place in large cities, radio and TV reporters virtually ignore many of them. Assignment desks send reporters to homicide arraignments only if there is something unusual about the killing or if the defendant or victim is well known.
Reporter access
Although many courts are easing restrictions on cameras and recorders in court- rooms, many still bar such equipment. When they are allowed, access is usually obtained on a pool basis. Some courts allow reporters with cameras and tape recorders to question lawyers, prosecutors, defendants, and others in the cor- ridors, whereas others restrict the media to remaining outside the courthouse.
Good reporters attend the court hearings and trials even if the equipment is barred. They take detailed notes on what goes on for use in their reports. The reporter not only looks for important remarks and choice quotes from the judge, prosecutor, defense counsel, and witnesses but also makes note of facial expressions and other signs of emotion. If it’s a jury trial, the reactions of the jury members are particularly important because they may give some clue about how the case is going.
When cameras are not allowed in the court during an important case, an artist is usually assigned along with the reporter to render sketches of the principal figures.
Civil courts
When people believe that they have been damaged in one way or another by individuals, professionals, or companies, they may seek redress by suing in civil court. The suit may be for libel, malpractice, failure to live up to a contract or to pay a bill, or divorce (just to name a few). The loser in civil court usually ends up paying money. No one goes to jail as they once did when debtor
prisons existed. But refusal to pay court-ordered alimony or child support is considered contempt of court, which could put the guilty party in jail.
Radio and TV newsrooms do not assign reporters to civil court trials because most of the cases are dull and relatively unimportant. But an unusual mal- practice case involving millions of dollars or a class action suit against an automobile company for allegedly building an unsafe vehicle attracts broad- cast media to the courthouse. Reporters also cover civil cases when celebrities are seeking damages for libel or are involved in a scandalous divorce or pater- nity suit.
As far as reporting assignments go, the rules are the same as those for covering the criminal courts. Attend the hearings and trials, take notes (particularly if you can’t use equipment inside), and try to speak with both sides outside the courthouse.
To cover crime efficiently, some of the basic contacts needed include:
■ Bureau of Justice statistics (www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs)
■ City police’s PIO
■ Civil and criminal court clerks (for obtaining dockets of cases to be tried)
■ County sheriff’s PIO
■ District attorney’s office
■ Federal Bureau of Investigation (www.fbi.gov) as well as your state’s Bureau of Investigation
■ State Highway Patrol
FIGURE 5.4 Visit the Bureau of Justice statistics (www.
ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs).
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Also, the Census Bureau at www.census.gov links to the Federal Statistical Abstract, which provides searchable statistics on crime.