Bruce W. Sanford

Media coverage of highly publicized trials does not prevent those trials from being fair, Bruce W. Sanford contends in the following viewpoint. According to Sanford, fair and impartial juries can be impaneled despite significant pretrial publicity. He also maintains that allowing for a free media during a trial helps the pursuit of truth and benefits the public and criminal defense attorneys. Sanford is a counsel for the Society of Professional Journalists and the author of Don’t Shoot the Messenger: How Our Growing Hatred of the Media Threatens Free Speech for All of Us.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. In Sanford’s view, what is hypocritical about defense lawyers’ complaints about pretrial publicity?
2. According to the author, what is the sole purpose...