When editorial decisions disrupt the legal system

Posted by John Burke on September 18, 2007 at 12:54 PM

The New York Times tells the tale of The Connecticut Post which recently published an article and an infographic revealing the names and detailed background information of all the jurors in a front-page murder trial. Did the paper go too far?

Legally, the paper has the right to publish the names if they are released by the judge. But two jurors expressed concern about their names being published because of the gravity of the case, which involved a potential death sentence and the defendant's lawyer demanded a declaration of mistrial.

Considering the gravity of the case, two journalism professors quoted by the Times opined that more editorial discretion was necessary. One thought that by publishing the jurors' names it opened them up to calls from outsiders trying to influence the outcome of the case. Another thought that the paper could have published the details of the jurors' backgrounds for public knowledge, useful when decided whether or not the trial is fairly balanced, but abstain from printing their names.

As for the Connecticut Post's editor, James H. Smith, he said that he would have thought twice about printing the infographic with the jurors' backgrounds over an image of empty jury chairs. "I'd let the story speak for itself", said Smith.

Source: The New York Times

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