An historical survey of the relationship between the justice system and the media in the US. The author looks at trials from Scopes to O.J. and argues that society gains more than it loses when trials are open to public scrutiny and discussion. Includes a lengthy examination of the end result of the current trend, Court TV. Appends a state by state summary of camera coverage rules by the Radio-Television News Directors Association. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Looking at the effects of both allowing and barring television coverage of legal proceedings, Cohn (the Thomas Jefferson School of Law) and Dow, a retired CBS News correspondent, examine landmark televised trials, including those of O. J. Simpson and William Kennedy Smith, and analyze the impact of CourtTV and the history of cameras in American courtrooms. Interviews with judges, attorneys, jurors, and legal scholars shed light on the subject. This paperback reprint features a new preface by the authors, on the effect of excluding television cameras from the trial of a September 11th terrorist. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR