None of us is a stranger to the broadcast media’s propensity for negative coverage. For example, during 10 of the past 11 years, murder rates in the United States have declined, yet television coverage of murders has gone up. As a result, the general impression is that we live in a more violent society now than we did a decade ago.

When television reporters call, the stakes at that moment are probably much higher than what is at risk in the courtroom.