Should TV cameras be allowed in court?

It’s not every day we get a good court room drama played out on our television - and it's for a good reason. Most of the day to day happenings in New Zealand courts are akin to being locked in an overheated room and forced to watch a four hour highlight reel of the Queen’s Christmas speeches.

Cameras in NZ courts since 1995

Droll, droll, droll. So when a murder trial pops up – it’s already news. If it involves a good looking farming family from friendly Fielding, then you know it’s going to be on the nightly news in heavy doses. I’m not saying it’s why the recent Ewen Macdonald murder trial got so much coverage, but it certainly helped. I’ve directed television in New Zealand – it’s not exactly a rich stomping ground for telegenic types who can answer a question on camera without the “yeah, but nah” signature sign off.


Sketch artist's impression inside court


When I started out as a reporter, those lovely sketch artists were gainfully employed.

Where are they now? Most likely working abroad, since New Zealand courts, unlike those in England and Wales, have allowed cameras to cover courtroom trials since 1995.

Prior to the mid 90s, court on television for us here in lil' ol' New Zealand was limited to shows like Judge Judy  and The People's Court . It was reality programming before reality TV was even a sign on a TV commissioner’s door. Then things changed and we joined a growing number of countries which allow cameras into court. Of course it’s not like the media can just wander into any old courtroom and start rolling – there’s red tape – hey, it’s the Ministry of Justice would you expect anything less? The rules are many and set out on the Ministry of Justice website. And as back up? Filming is always at the judge’s discretion. So why does The Law Society want to turf cameras out of our courts? President Jonathan Temm announced earlier this month that cameras should be banned to stop sensationalist and selective reporting.
 Justice Minister Judith Collins has promised a review. She cited the Scott Guy murder trial and the 'reality tv' style coverage. The argument that broadcasters can create this sensationalist and selective reporting is strange. I’ve worked in both print and on television. It’s all selective. That’s what we do, time and space dictate that. We can't go back to the days when The New Zealand Herald filled its inside pages with all the freaks and weirdos appearing in docks up and down the country. But I don't see how we can suddenly turn around and ostracise the television cameras?

C.P Scott, an editor at The Guardian once famously said early in the last century: “Television? The word is half Latin and half Greek. No good can come of it”. And in a 1936 The Listener editorial Rex Lambert said “Television won’t matter in your lifetime or mine.” Bold statements of the day that look a bit silly now!

In England, the move to get cameras into their courts has had a monumental shift this year. In April this year a single camera was allowed into Edinburgh's High Court to film the sentencing of David Gilroy. It was a legal first. Hearings in the UK's highest court, Westminster Supreme Court are already broadcast live. The Queen has now announced plans for a bill to lift the ban of cameras in court. She said: "The presence of cameras in our courtrooms will lead to greater public engagement and understanding of our legal system. We look forward to working closely with the judiciary and the government to ensure that justice will now truly be seen to be done." So as more worldwide courts polish the mahogany and allow cameras to roll, will New Zealand be one of the first countries to try and scrap idea? I hope not.

The real Downton Abbey

As the third season of Downton Abbey begins on ITV (my British FB friends smugly keep pointing this fact out weekly), the rest of us around the world sit in front our tellies with a pack of chocolate biscuits and the kettle ready drooling in front of TV and listening out for that signature piano tinkle.

However in lieu of actually having the real thing to watch, I was in Blighty recently and asked, neigh forced, husband to make a slight variation whilst in the Wiltshire countryside. Actually our host from the previous evening had suggested we visit Highclere Castle aka Downton Abbey since she is friends with the owners of Highclere Castle and has on more than one occasion taken tea there. “Oh yeah, who’s that?” I asked her intrigued. It turns out Highclere has multiple personalities. It’s in the Carnarvon family. Who? The 5th Earl of Carnarvon was with Howard Carter in 1922 when they discovered Tutankhamun’s tomb.

Tutankhamun! Brilliant. A telly show upstairs, an Egyptian treasure trove downstairs! No room for the owners among the dusty old relics, the Downton day core and the walls lined with portraits. They live somewhere else on the property according to one of the stoic and matronly looking types who work the downstairs study. Their castle for part of the year is overtaken with hordes of British tire kickers who are shipped in tour bus after tour bus – most with an average age of 85. Given their progressing years actually walking around the rooms of Highclere makes for a slow journey. It wasn’t really built for wheelchairs and the stairwell to the upper level is the straw that broke the camel’s back for many!

I was quietly humming that famous intro title as we came upon Downton Abbey on a sunny September day. We were greeted by a car park chocker full of SUVs, e-type Jags and old men sitting on fold out chairs with a flask of tea clearly bored and leaving their wives to it while they tuned in to the 2.35pm at Doncaster. Undeterred, I soldiered on, even shelling out £32 for myself and husband to give the castle the once over. On a stunning sunny day, it’s just like on telly. The grounds are huge and you can meander to your heart’s content. Post castle tour, there’s makeshift tea and cake eateries littering the back of Highclere Castle. The turnover alone on scones must go some way to the upkeep of this awesome property.

Inside it’s a mish mash of old and some new – new being recent family snaps of the Carnarvon family adorning side tables. They sit alongside picture cards of people like Hugh Bonneville with a caption stating that you are currently standing in his study in the tv show. Despite it feeling large and grandiose I can sympathise with the series directors as there must be limited space shooting on set, especially in the upstairs bedrooms.

Once downstairs, you sink into the murky, bricked depths of the castle, the official website describes it as the cellar. This is where the staff once used to work. The actual set for Downton’s staff is filmed at Ealing studios in London. In fact check out the Downton Abbey Red Nose Comedy special (see below) with Joanna Lumley, Kim Cattrall, Jennifer Saunders and raft of other celebs who take over the set in a hilarious version of the show and poke fun at the two different shooting locations.
In Highclere’s cellar you’re shown the story of Lord Carnarvon and his expensive and long quest to find ancient treasures in Egypt. He managed to get his hands on a lot of the booty from Tutankhamun’s tomb – most of the good stuff however is in the Cairo Museum. Emerging out into the grounds of Highclere, I wondered if Dame Maggie Smith was hiding around the corner at one of the tea rooms all pokerfaced, leaning on her cane and aghast at the mass of commoners who had descended upon Downton. While the tour is probably not a good substitute for the show, it got me excited for the upcoming series and respectful of the Carnarvon family who has opened up Highclere for public viewing and probably to turn an extra bob or two. Yes, quite!