Are You Watching U.S. Supreme Court?: Philippines High Court Allows Televising of Murder Trial

Image via WikipediaThe trial stemming from the 2009 Maguindanao Massacre that claimed 57 lives, including 31 journalists, will be televised, the Philippines Supreme Court has ruled.

As reported by the Jurist Website (http://jurist.law.pitt.edu), the Philippines High Court cited the logistical challenges of accommodating all interested parties in the courtroom as its rationale for permitting the murder trial of clan members, who allegedly killed backers of a political rival, to be aired.

The court, however, has imposed numerous restrictions on broadcasters, such as allowing only one stationary camera to record the proceedings, prohibiting the camera from zooming in or panning the courtroom, barring voiceovers during the trial, requiring broadcasters to air the day's proceedings, commercial-free, from beginning to end and preventing the re-broadcast of daily coverage until after final judgment.