Will this case change the way prosecutors expose defendants to the media and the public? It will be interesting to see if this thing goes any where. The issue: Transparency vs. the Right to a Fair Trial or: The use of the media to hype a case.
By Glen Johnson
Associated Press
BOSTON –– A federal judge yesterday ordered prosecutors to produce affidavits explaining why photographs were released and publicity generated following the arrests of two Boston politicians on corruption charges last year.
The lead prosecutor in the case said he would have to determine whether he could comply.
Judge Douglas Woodlock told a pretrial hearing audience he wants to evaluate whether prosecutors tried to “gin things up” among the public after the arrests of former state senator Dianne Wilkerson and City Councilor Chuck Turner.
