Question

what are the conflict between the press having the right to print whatever it wants to print, as long as it not libelous, and the sixth amendment right to a fair trial, whether there is hard scientific evidence that massive media coverage of a trial actually impacts a person's right to a fair trial and some of the steps courts do to ensure a free trial.

Answer 1

Media is one important element in the society that keep changing and shaping the perceptions, culture and the life style of people and that’s why media is called a popular culture. They could change the opinions of the people with their persuasive writing and at times they overdo it thus affecting people’s reputation. According to the sixth amendment, people deserve a fair trial without any external influence that would adversely affect their fair trial. Media at times make a big cry about the case thus creating confusion among the public and this would confuse them about the case and make the person nervous about the trial. If we look at the media reports each media would report the same incident differently thus making people believe in wrong information.