American Bar Association
Voluntary guidelines for the handling of pre-trial publicity


These activities of the media can interfere with a defendant's right to a fair trial:

1.     Reporting of information about a confession, or even rumors of a possible confession.

2.     Reporting of information about lie detector tests, or even the possibility of a test.

3.     Reporting on defendant's past crimes, especially those which are not related to the present    incident or charge. Or, write descriptions of the defendant as a 'convict.'

4.     Reporting in ways in which witness credibility is questioned... or in ways which question the credibility of witnesses, police, victims, or members of the judiciary.

5.     Reporting in ways which question the character or personal history of the defendant.

6.     Reporting stories which inflame the public against the defendant.


'The last word' (I feel just like Jerry Springer-!):

Of course, it's easy to see that (were they to follow these guidelines to the letter) news reporters wouldn't have much to report about. And, obviously, these guidelines are broken every day in the media. The key is... when working as a reporter, you need to be aware that these guidelines are what attorneys often expect. If your reporting violates the guidelines, you may be putting yourself at risk with defense counsel or with the court. And if you're working in PR (perhaps representing an attorney and/or client) you should know what the ABA suggests for professional media conduct. So, if you decide to delve into these areas - do so at your own risk.