The Hindu : International : A price to pay

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Feb 08, 2005

International

International

A price to pay

Los Angeles: Joining the media circus at Michael Jackson's trial on child abuse and kidnap charges in Santa Maria, California, can come with a price tag. To shift the fiscal burden from taxpayers of accommodating the event's 1,100 accredited journalists, Santa Barbara County wants to collect the cost from the journalists — a politically astute move in the tax-shy State. The county has struck a $7,500-a-day deal with the ``media pool'' dominated by the American TV networks that provide saturation coverage of events. Almost $120,000 was paid for pre-trial coverage. The money is spent on sheriff's deputies to handle the media, maintenance staff to clean up after them, barricades to corral them, portable toilets, and an ``overflow'' press-room outside the court. Who pays for this is up to the pool, says Bob Nisbet, assistant director of Santa Barbara County's general services department. Payment is a moot point. Some news organisations — grumbling that their very presence has already boosted the local economy — have refused to stump up. To those concerned about press freedom Mr. Nisbet insists the fee has ``nothing at all to do with paying for the right to cover the trial.''

- Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004

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