Popular Culture Review 31.2
their eyes , ears , and correspondents . Their role can only be accomplished , however , when trials are accessible . Journalists ’ usefulness rests on their ability to be present , observe , document , and relay information . Their job is important because they educate through written accounts of their observations . Technology like Twitter has made reporting much easier . It provides for up-to-the-minute access and dissemination of information . Text or images can easily be uploaded in seconds . The availability of an Internet connection translates into instantaneous access .
The traditional method of news reporting consists of a journalist taking handwritten notes that are combined to produce an article that is later typed on a computer . After editing , the article is published either in print or online . Today , journalists have direct access to the public via social media networks . This means of disseminating news provides moment-by-moment reporting . It also allows readers to comment on what is written and to pass the information along to other social media users , thereby providing the reporter with an even larger audience .
Although the Internet is an efficient method of reporting , it is a method that reporters can only make use of outside of the doors of many courtrooms . Journalists are prohibited from using social media websites like Twitter to report within some courtrooms during a trial ’ s progression .
The use of Twitter in the courtroom is a matter that touches upon many constitutional issues . It involves the press ’ s First Amendment right of free speech , a defendant ’ s Sixth Amendment right to a public trial , and a defendant ’ s Fifth and Fourteenth due process guarantees . “ Even though the trend is becoming more prevalent , the current law does not properly address whether reporters should be allowed to
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