Press reports from criminal court cases - selected legal aspects

Maria Łoszewska-Ołowska

In democratic societies, one of the media’s fundamental tasks is to control the structures of authority. It includes the legislative, the executive but also the judiciary, particularly influential when it comes to society’s legal culture and people’s trust toward the state. Hence, judiciary reporting is treated as a very important sphere of press activity. Thanks to it, society is informed about the work of the judiciary and the on-going cases. In order for media to properly realize their tasks, the legislature needs to create mechanisms which would enable the media real access to information on judicial proceedings, taking into account the interests of the judiciary but also the rights of the accused, particularly considering presumption of innocence, protection of image and good name. Solutions reached should be a compromise, as they should include values which are often contradictory and maintain democratic standards. As reality shows, this is not so easy to achieve.

KEYWORDS

judiciary reporting, protection of image, personal data, superstition, presumption of innocence