New York judge rejects US media’s requests to broadcast Donald Trump’s arraignment

The New York judge presiding over Donald Trump’s arraignment has refused to grant permission to broadcast the historic proceedings at a Manhattan state court.

Judge Juan Merchan rejected the request made by several US media organisations, but allowed photojournalists to take pictures of Trump and the courtroom before the hearing begins.

CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal are among the news outlets who have made the request.

Even though Trump’s arraignment is a public proceeding, news cameras are not usually allowed to broadcast from inside the courtroom.

While rejecting their request, the judge noted about the historical significance of the proceeding in stark terms.

“That this indictment involves a matter of monumental significance cannot possibly be disputed. Never in the history of the United States has a sitting or past President been indicted on criminal charges. Mr Trump’s arraignment has generated unparalleled public interest and media attention,” Merchan wrote, according to CNN.

“The populace rightly hungers for the most accurate and current information available. To suggest otherwise would be disingenuous.”

Donald Trump to flies to New York ahead of arraignment

While acknowledging their request, Merchan said that the news organisations’ interests in providing the broadest possible access to the proceedings must be weighed against “competing interests.”

On Monday, Trump’s lawyers requested the judge to turn down the media’s request for cameras in the courtroom. The Manhattan district attorney’s office told the judge it didn’t have a position.

In their letter to the judge, the news organisations requested for a “limited number of photographers, videographers, and radio journalists to be present at the arraignment,” adding that they are making “this limited request for audio-visual coverage in order to ensure that the operations of the court will not be disrupted in any way.”

Noting the gravity of this proceeding, the media outlets asserted that the “need for the broadest possible public access, cannot be overstated.”

Trump arrived in Manhattan ahead of the arraignment on Tuesday, after a grand jury indicted the former president last week. He is likely to face 30 counts related to financial fraud.

(With inputs from agencies)

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