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PL MP Calls For TV Cameras In Court And Describes Current Reportage As ‘Boring’

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Labour MP Glenn Bedingfield has proposed allowing the media to film parts of certain court sittings, arguing this will improve public education of the justice system.

“I think it’s time that we discuss whether the media should be given some kind of presence in courtrooms,” Bedingfield said in Parliament this evening. “When you say you’re going to watch the news, you say you’re going to watch it, but then court reports only feature empty courtrooms and corridors.”

“It is boring reportage.”

While Bedingfield was against giving media houses a carte blanche to film what they please, he said they should be allowed to film decisions taken by the judiciary on major criminal cases of public interest as was recently announced by the UK.

The ban on filming suspects. victims and lawyers will remain in place.

He said this will greatly help people realise how judges and magistrates reach decisions when handing out their sentences.

“People often hear that someone is sentenced to 10 years imprisonment and say that if it were up to them, it would be a sentence of 20 or 30 years… if people can see exactly how judges reached their conclusions, they would be better able to understand the logic.”

“I’m not saying we should become like Italy or the US where the entire court process is open but the UK has granted a concession that allows the filming of decisions in certain criminal cases that generate public interest.”

“I think it’s time for Malta to discuss what type of court access we can give the media. We can use the English model, which I find very acceptable, or the Scottish model, but we should certainly sit down and discuss it now that we’re discussing the journalism profession.”

PN MP Joe Giglio

PN MP Joe Giglio

In an interview with Lovin Malta last September, PN MP and leading criminal lawyer Joe Giglio went a step further, calling for major court cases to be televised in the interest of transparency.

“Court proceedings are open to the public and the public can always go and see them,” Giglio said.

“It is in very rare instances, which are laid down in the law, where the court can order a proceeding be held behind closed doors. But that is the exception and not the rule, so televising would be pushing further towards transparency.”

“But as a rule, court proceedings are public in nature and therefore there is nothing wrong with televising in the belief that it will create more transparency.”

Justice Minister Jonathan Attard has previously expressed scepticism of such a proposal, warning that an accused person could mount a case that their rights to a fair trial are being breached by the presence of cameras in the courtroom.

“I’d rather justice is served well without the rights of the accused being trampled upon, which God forbid could result in issues of nullity,” Attard told Lovin Malta last May.

“I’m very cautious on this issue. The most important thing is that justice is done, and that it is seen to be done in the sense that the public is informed about it. However, if we use extreme resources to transmit it, I think we could endanger the chance that justice could be done.”

Should Malta start televising major court sittings?

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Tim is interested in the rapid evolution of human society and is passionate about justice, human rights and cutting-edge political debates. You can follow him on Instagram or Twitter/X at @timdiacono or reach out to him at [email protected]

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