View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

Keir Starmer predicts cameras could be allowed to broadcast from criminal courts within five years

By William Turvill

The former Director of Public Prosecutions has suggested that cameras could be allowed to broadcast live from criminal courts within five years.

Keir Starmer (pictured: Reuters) said in an interview that the case for cameras in courts is “getting stronger and stronger”, highlighting the fact that other countries, including South Africa, Italy and the United States, already allow live broadcasting from their courts.

“I think that there’s only one direction of travel. I would be very surprised if in the next five years we haven’t moved on again,” he told the Daily Mail.

“The principle is open justice and there’s a disconnect between the fact we’ve got a right to walk into any court but it can’t be screened. Most people don’t have the time to go to court and therefore they don’t know what’s going on in courts.”

According to the paper, he said criminal courts could start by allowing sentencing to be broadcast before broadening out to witness testimonies.

Cameras have been allowed in the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court since last autumn and Starmer told the Mail it is a “moving issue”.

Critics have suggested that the presence of cameras could encourage witnesses to play to the cameras or discourage them from appearing in court at all.

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

But Starmer has predicted that it will become the “norm”, like cameras’ presence in Parliament.

“I think opposition to the idea is lessening. By seeing trials, the public will better understand what's going in. But I also think the scrutiny would improve criminal justice," he said.

“If a torch is shone, that tends to improve things. Speed and efficiency of cases would be improved. Our legal system sometimes moves slowly and constant scrutiny helps with issues of efficiency.”

Topics in this article : ,

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network