It is the business of newspapers to print court reports. Justice must be done and seen to be done. A newspaper plays a part in the “seen to be done” bit.
The accuracy and grasp of the law required in court reporting, and the editing of these reports, can be the most challenging part of working for a newspaper. It can also be the most confrontational.
Reporters and photographers are routinely threatened while at court merely doing their jobs.
The news desk often gets angry phone calls from accused people, their relatives (mums are the worst), and even solicitors demanding (without a leg to stand on) a case shouldn’t appear in the paper.
There are certain parts of court reporting the public, if they aren’t used to appearing in a case, might be unfamiliar with or surprised by.
It is, for instance, common practice to print a photo of a person, accused or witness, which has appeared on social media. This is lawful because the photo is deemed “already in the public domain”.
News desks are well used to discussions with people who insist their Facebook or Instagram output is their private property and photos have been “stolen” from it.
In a similar way, witnesses or accused people phone (or turn up at the office door) ranting about what was said in court. They claim “the other side” told lies about them. Journalists, unless directed otherwise from the bench, report what is said in open court and play no part in verifying whether it is true or not. They must, however, accurately report what is said.
People complain their address has been revealed. But addresses (usually just street name and town) are essential in case people with the same name are confused.
Another common complaint is that court reports can be found online sometimes many years after the case called. This is because most newspapers deem it important their archive remains visible and unaltered for all time.
This can be upsetting when a report remains viewable despite the conviction otherwise being “spent” (you no longer have to disclose it).
The best way to avoid all this, of course, is to not break the law in the first place.
I always enjoyed the challenge of dealing with court copy and developed my own acronym for “the essentials” to be printed: NAACAD.
Every court report should have the accused’s: Name, Address, Age, Charge, Admission (or denial), and Disposal (the decision the sheriff or judge hands down).
Otherwise, the newspaper is naacad (see my witty “knackered” sounds-like?) and charged with contempt of court.
Word of the week
Didactic (adjective)
Instructive, intended to teach. EG: “Newspaper reports of the sheriff court’s sensational, salacious, and stunningly stupid cases should be a didactic read, the lesson being: whatever you do, don’t do this.”
Read the latest Oh my word! every Saturday in The Courier. Contact me at sfinan@dctmedia.co.uk
