Journalists and judges: tension and distortion

AuthorGerry Curran
PositionM.A. (Journalism), M.A. (Industrial Relations and Management), Dip. Soc. Sc., Dip. Counselling, Media Relations Advisor to the Courts Service
Pages11-24
JOURNALISTS AND JUDGES:
TENSION AND DISTORTION
GERRY CURRAN*
I. INTRODUCTION
The topic of the tension between judges and
journalists is not one which should be explored through the
refracting lens of my self-interest, either as a journalist or as
someone who currently represents the Courts Service with the
media. The balance in this article, however, is swayed towards
an examination of the media and its environment, as the
majority of my readers are very familiar with the workings of
the courts.
To begin with, it might be prudent to see what the
impression of the role of the media is amongst the judiciary. It
is perceived by some in the media, that judges have a
suspicion and intolerance of journalism. Whilst there may be
little or no evidence to support this, it is a perception which
can colour attitudes. When researching for this article it came
as a surprise to find that, over the past twenty years, there
exists a very positive seam of thought about the media
amongst judges.
An examination of this area must include the role of
reporting, the distortions of stories and the risk of remedies.
Her Honour Judge Yvonne Murphy, in her guide to the law
for members of the media, states quite rightly, “There is an
increasing public interest in the working of the courts and
2001] Journalists and Judges 11
* M.A. (Journalism), M.A. (Industrial Relations and Management), Dip.
Soc. Sc., Dip. Counselling, Media Relations Advisor to the Courts
Service. This article is based on a paper delivered to the 2001 Circuit
Court conference.

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