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News Organizations Want Cameras in Jackson Hearing
REUTERS
By Dan Whitcomb
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Major news organizations asked a judge on Friday to allow cameras into an upcoming court appearance by Michael Jackson (news) on molestation charges, saying that a wild spectacle surrounding a prior hearing should be countered by images of orderly proceedings.
But it was not immediately clear how Santa Barbara Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville would handle the request -- which was not opposed by prosecutors -- because he refused to schedule a hearing into the matter.
Hundreds of fans gathered outside a courthouse in Santa Maria, California, for Jackson's arraignment on Jan. 16 and were driven into a frenzy when the 45-year-old entertainer climbed on top of his sports utility vehicle to dance and wave.
Jackson, who wore a white armband and whose car was mobbed by the frenzied fans, then passed out invitations to a "love and togetherness" party at his Neverland Valley Ranch.
Cameras were not allowed inside the courtroom of Judge Melville, where the onetime "King of Pop" turned up 20 minutes late and pleaded innocent to the charges.
"The public did not see Mr. Jackson plead not guilty but instead saw only Mr. Jackson's dramatic entry into and exit from the courthouse followed by his interaction with a large crowd of supporters from atop an SUV and his invitations to a party at Neverland Ranch," lawyers for Court TV, Fox News Channel, NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Associated Press said in a written motion.
"This undermines the dignity of the court because it leaves the public with the misimpression that the legal proceedings are an extension of the raucous atmosphere outside the court," attorneys said in the court papers.
The attorneys argued that the cameras were also warranted at the Feb. 13 hearing because Melville's gag order, which bars anyone involved with the case from discussing it in depth with reporters, prevented them from describing what had happened inside court.
In a declaration filed with the court, an attorney for the news organizations said that Santa Barbara County prosecutors were not opposed to cameras in the courtroom and that Mark Geragos, who leads the defense team representing Jackson, had not said they would fight them.
The attorney also said that Melville, a no-nonsense judge who scolded Jackson for showing up late to the arraignment, had "refused to authorize a time or date on which the ... motion could be heard."
REUTERS
By Dan Whitcomb
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Major news organizations asked a judge on Friday to allow cameras into an upcoming court appearance by Michael Jackson (news) on molestation charges, saying that a wild spectacle surrounding a prior hearing should be countered by images of orderly proceedings.
But it was not immediately clear how Santa Barbara Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville would handle the request -- which was not opposed by prosecutors -- because he refused to schedule a hearing into the matter.
Hundreds of fans gathered outside a courthouse in Santa Maria, California, for Jackson's arraignment on Jan. 16 and were driven into a frenzy when the 45-year-old entertainer climbed on top of his sports utility vehicle to dance and wave.
Jackson, who wore a white armband and whose car was mobbed by the frenzied fans, then passed out invitations to a "love and togetherness" party at his Neverland Valley Ranch.
Cameras were not allowed inside the courtroom of Judge Melville, where the onetime "King of Pop" turned up 20 minutes late and pleaded innocent to the charges.
"The public did not see Mr. Jackson plead not guilty but instead saw only Mr. Jackson's dramatic entry into and exit from the courthouse followed by his interaction with a large crowd of supporters from atop an SUV and his invitations to a party at Neverland Ranch," lawyers for Court TV, Fox News Channel, NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Associated Press said in a written motion.
"This undermines the dignity of the court because it leaves the public with the misimpression that the legal proceedings are an extension of the raucous atmosphere outside the court," attorneys said in the court papers.
The attorneys argued that the cameras were also warranted at the Feb. 13 hearing because Melville's gag order, which bars anyone involved with the case from discussing it in depth with reporters, prevented them from describing what had happened inside court.
In a declaration filed with the court, an attorney for the news organizations said that Santa Barbara County prosecutors were not opposed to cameras in the courtroom and that Mark Geragos, who leads the defense team representing Jackson, had not said they would fight them.
The attorney also said that Melville, a no-nonsense judge who scolded Jackson for showing up late to the arraignment, had "refused to authorize a time or date on which the ... motion could be heard."
