Journalists will talk about the trial of the eight people involved in the assassination of history professor Samuel Paty, which took place in 2020. What can journalists show? And how? The answers in this video.
How do journalists report trials?
Most trials are open to the public, because every citizen has the right to see how justice is done. But not everyone can go there. So, the journalists take over. Their mission? Select the key moments of the trial so that people have the impression of having experienced it too.
Often, journalists choose to talk about serious cases: the trial of an attack, a case of assault, etc.
But then, they tell everything?
Impossible ! A trial lasts several days, sometimes months… More than the final verdict, journalists try to understand what happened. It is a difficult exercise, because they do not have access to all the elements of the file.
Their sources of information? The report of the investigation carried out before the trial, interviews with the victim’s family or the defense lawyer. And, of course, what happens during the trial! Sitting in the area reserved for the press, they note everything that happens: the reactions of the witnesses, the attitude of the lawyers, the atmosphere in the room…
During the breaks, they question the lawyers, the magistrates… But the latter are not obliged to answer!
Like any journalists, they must verify the information. Because there are not bad guys on one side and good guys on the other. The truth is often much more complicated…
Séverine Clochard
