THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COURTS AND MEDIA

Abstract

Judicial authorities have the difficult task to deal with the undermined public confidence in the judiciary and to reverse this trend in favor of a general appreciation of their work by citizens. Announced judicial reform which failed, the internal problems of the judiciary, as well as tabloidization by the media that create an unfavorable environment are the causes that have led to people doubting the achievements of justice and fairness conducted by the judicial authorities. Representatives of the judiciary can change such an image only with an active, not a passive attitude towards this problem. Reticence of the judiciary is not a good way to change the unfavorable picture of their work to the desired level. Consistent implementation of the principles of the publicity, demystification of the work of the judiciary, openness towards the media, is the path that leads to the establishment of trust in the work of the judiciary. Constant communication between representatives of the judiciary and journalists, in which it eliminates any doubt that the prosecution and the courts "are hiding something" is a necessity, not just a requirement. In particular, the authors point to the delicate boundary between the justified public's interests in knowing and the abuse of freedom of expression "up to the line" through which the right of the others would be violated. In this paper we point out the causes of the unfavorable environment in question, as well as the obstacles in the communication of courts and media that occur in the everyday work of both.