Challenges for public following impeachment, Weinstein cases

FILE - In this Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020, file im from video, presiding officer Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts swears in members of Senate for impeachment trial against President Donald Trump at U.S. Capitol in Washington. Reporters at Capitol want more cameras in Senate to cover impeachment trial and fewer restrictions to talk to senators when y are t sitting in judgment of president. (Senate Television via AP, File)

FILE - In this Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020, file im from video, presiding officer Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts swears in members of Senate for impeachment trial against President Donald Trump at U.S. Capitol in Washington. Reporters at Capitol want more cameras in Senate to cover impeachment trial and fewer restrictions to talk to senators when y are t sitting in judgment of president. (Senate Television via AP, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — Americans who want to follow President Donald Trump’s impeachment saga and Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein’s rape trial through media will sit in obstructed seats.

Both events begin in earnest this week — with Senate arguments over Trump’s impeachment beginning Tuesday and opening statements in Weinstein case Wednesday. Both have been subject of behind--scenes wrangling over media access.

Far from an esoteric exercise, limited media access affects what public is able to see and, just as importantly, who controls narrative.

C-SPAN, joined by or major television networks, objects to Senate’s plan to essentially allow only two camera views of impeachment trial from Senate floor. One would focus on whoever is speaking at time and or would be a wider shot of Senate itself, said Terry Murphy, C-SPAN’s vice president of programming, on Monday.

More camera shots are generally permitted during special events, but t in this case, he said.

It means, for example, that pictures of how individual senators are reacting to testimony, what groups gar toger for informal confabs, or any demonstrations that may take place will generally go missing. Senate will be arbiter of what pictures go out, Murphy said.

“ citizen who gets to sit in gallery gets a lot better view than person sitting inside living room at home,” Murphy said. “All we ask is that person watching from home get same view.”

Restrictions on reporters who sit in press gallery, including having to go through metal detectors to enter and t being allowed to transmit messs electronically while re, may minimize immediate value of having those eyes on sight.

“Can anyone name a time when free flow of information is more important than when impeachment is issue and nation is bitterly divided?” said Tom Bettag, a veteran news producer who w teaches journalism at University of Maryland. “For any one side to try to control news can only inflame situation.”

Typically, reporters have generous access to politicians in hallways outside. Most senators are keen to talk, although reaction of Arizona Sen. Martha McSally last week, who called CNN’s Manu Raju a “liberal hack” when he tried to ask her a question, illustrate se are fraught times.

For public and politicians, information gleaned from se conversations can fill in blanks about what is happening behind scenes and how testimony was being taken.

So journalists were alarmed when initial rules were put in place that would pen in reporters directly outside Senate chamber and chill attempts at conversations. re’s been some progress loosening those rules; reporters were assured Monday that Capitol police would longer try to break up any interviews y saw in Capitol hallways, as happened late last week, said Sarah Wire, a reporter for Los Angeles Times and chair of Standing Committee on Correspondents, which is responsible for credentialing reporters.

“It is one of most important moments in American history,” Wire said. “Having reporters speak to senators is important, and t just senators who choose to speak to reporters.”

Christopher Isham, Washington bureau chief for CBS News, said discussions are “still fairly fluid” in terms of making it easier for senators who want to talk. He’s optimistic that public will ultimately have roughly same access to impeachment trial through media as it did for President Bill Clinton’s trial.

A spokesman for Senate Majority Leer Mitch McConnell did t immediately return a mess seeking comment.

American Civil Liberties Union, which toger with several or groups sent a letter to Senate last week, urged leers t to slide back to 20th Century techlogy at a time more can be done to let public kw what politicians are up to.

Bettag, once executive producer at ABC’s “Nightline,” said any differences in news cover of impeachment trial caused by media restrictions is likely to be so subtle that most viewers won’t tice. But it’s important for news organizations to fight m, since without that things are likely to tighten even furr in future.

Cable news networks CNN, Fox News Channel and MSNBC are expected to cover every minute of impeachment trial, mirroring cover of House hearings. ABC, CBS and NBC will also have extensive cover but haven’t committed to showing each minute of hearings.

By comparison, much-anticipated Weinstein trial will be much harder for public to follow. once-powerful Hollywood producer, whose behavior gave rise to #MeToo movement, is on trial in a New York courtroom on charges that he raped a woman in a hotel room in 2013 and forced oral sex on ar in 2006.

New York state courts infrequently allow or are equipped to provide television cover, and despite efforts by Court TV, state Supreme Court Justice James Burke is t permitting cameras in this case. Any depiction of Weinstein listening to testimony in trial will come from sketch artists.

Reporters permitted in courtroom will t be allowed to have phones or any recording devices; y won’t be allowed to text, tweet or email anything to outside world, according to rules issued by Burke.

News organizations have also been unsuccessfully pushing for an “overflow” room at state Supreme Court, which would allow more reporters room on site.