Reporters had right to attend 'non-hospitalization' hearing
Article Abstract:
The Vermont Supreme Court held in State v. Koch that newspaper reporters had a right to attend proceeding related to the hospitalization of a criminally insane defendant. The court said that it could not find statutory authority for denying access to hospitalization hearings; it noted further that the public had a right to know what happened during the hearing. A lower court had closed the hearings on the ground the presence of the press and public would undermine the state's mental health law, and that such hearings were traditionally closed to the public.
Publication Name: News Media & the Law
Subject: Literature/writing
ISSN: 0149-0737
Year: 1999
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State high court finds reporter's privilege in criminal trial
Article Abstract:
The Supreme Court of West Virginia ruled in West Virginia ex rel. The Charleston Mail v. Ranson that the newspaper's unpublished photographs were subject to the qualified reporter's privilege in criminal trials. The defendant argued that his Sixth Amendment right to a fair trial outweighed the First Amendment rights of the newspaper. The Court found that the defendant must prove a number of factors for disclosure of the privileged materials to be compelled. The court did not address the standard for revealing confidential sources in criminal trials.
Publication Name: News Media & the Law
Subject: Literature/writing
ISSN: 0149-0737
Year: 1997
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