The Collegian

Issue date: 1/26/10 Section: Opinion

Although the Proposition 8 hearings have begun, the fact that it isn't televised is a great disservice not only to the LGBT community and their struggle for equal rights, but also to journalists as well. This decision makes us look just as bad as the countries that we condemn over government control of the press.
In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court justices said that "This case is…not a good one for a pilot program. Even the studies that have been conducted thus far have not analyzed the effect of broadcasting in high-profile, divisive cases."
Considering this is the biggest civil rights issue surrounding us today, it should be televised, and the people should know the whole truth, the entire truth, and nothing but the truth. What do we get instead?
People blogging about the trial. Even though some blogs can be credible, the majority of them are often biased, which is why blogs are not really a credible news source. This hurts not only the cause of the LGBT community, but also hurts the freedom of the press that our country so prides itself upon.
If murderers can get significant air time when their cases go to court, why not something that could possibly be the biggest advance in civil rights since the late 1960s? Prop 8 was highly publicized all across America and even the world.
The Fourteenth Amendment said it best: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States...no State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
But in opposing the broadcast of this trial, the Supreme Court justices voting in the majority have decided to completely disregard the laws they were appointed to uphold.
Some of those who oppose the trial being broadcast say that broadcasting the trial would turn into a sort of performance act, with people constantly trying to protect their images rather than focus on the issue at hand.
When you are deciding on the rights of a group of people in society, it would be in the best interest of all persons to be able to know the facts as they stand and make informed decisions on them.
That is much better than going off of a second hand account of what happened. Besides, isn't that what the democratic process is about? It's not like they're exchanging military secrets in there. Broadcast the trial, and let people know the truth.

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