A crush of news reporters helped fuel the spectacle that unfolded outside the Santa Maria, Calif., courtroom on Monday.
About 500 print and broadcast reporters were on the scene to capture every detail of the newest trial of the century. And more than 1,000 applications for media credentials have been received by the court, with journalists from as far away as Japan, Switzerland and Germany covering the trial.
One foreign television crew was even doing its broadcast of the Iraqi elections from the courthouse parking lot.
Meanwhile, many media outlets were grumbling over an arrangement that could require television stations and newspapers to pay $800,000 or more to Santa Barbara County to defray costs for things such as office space and phone and Internet connections.
For those who have footed the bill, the charges have been about $125 per court day for each newspaper and $300 for each national television outfit (except local news outlets, who were exempted).
But others have argued that such fees amount to “pay to play” journalism that might violate 1st Amendment rights. Ted Boutros, an attorney representing major news outlets, said the county was charging far more than the cost of the services provided and the fees amounted to a “media tax.”
“We come roaring into these small towns, and I think it just looks to them like one big thundering herd. And, to them, one with very deep pockets,” said Jennifer Siebens, West Coast bureau chief for CBS News. “We are not deadbeats. We will pay our share. But we want to know what the real costs are.”
The herd of journalists, consultants and commentators has tested the limits of local hotels. One man with a house across the street from the courthouse has television crews in a bidding war over space on his roof for their cameras.
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BY THE NUMBERS
500: Number of reporters on site at the trial.
$800,000: Estimated cost for office space, phone and Internet access for media covering the trial.
$300: Estimated cost per day for national TV outlets to cover the trial.
