Over 80% of People Believe ALL Trials Should Be Livestramed {Public Trials}

In light of the Maxwell Trial, it has come to the attention of many that federal trials are not televised publically. Perhaps this realization arises from the recent highly publicized Rittenhouse Trial, which was live-streamed nationally. Further, this realization was likely deepened by the court’s denial of a public teleconference hearing in which the public can phone in to listen.

Whatever the case, the circumstances lead to an interesting discussion…

Most Believe That All Trial’s Should Be Live-Streamed

While the reasons for the court denying the audio call-in may remain unknown, what can not be denied is that the public believes that all trials should be live-streamed. In fact, I did a poll during live-stream commentary on the trial, and of the 258 participants, 84% said all Trials should be live-streamed. With only 16% saying no, ‘all’ trials should not be.

Most Also Believe, A Defendant Should Not Be Able to Decide

Additionally, they elected that a defendant should not have the right to choose whether or not a Trial was televised. With 69% voting that No, a Defendant should not be able to choose and that a Trial should be live-streamed regardless. And 31% voted in the affirmative that defendants should have the right to decide whether or not their trial is live-streamed.

What do the results suggest?

Look, there is no denying that technology is evolving, and the meaning of a fair and speedy “public trial’ is to. So what does a public trial mean in the age of live streams and an ever-growing population of independent journalists? Only time will tell…

Granted, this is within the context of a high-profile case in which a majority of the public has been denied direct access. So the result may be skewed. Regardless, they outline a critical discussion that we need to consider in the age of an evolving press.