[newsjunkie]

It's all part of opening up the justice system and making it more visible to the public. I doubt it's truly live, the feed will be controlled by MOJ and have a short delay to avoid anything slipping through by mistake.

I saw the set-up at our local Magistrates' Court which was used extensively to allow cases to continue by video during the COVID lockdown. It was all controlled internally. It was actually quite impressive.

Hopefully none of us will ever be standing in the dock of a Crown Court to witness something like this, and there is quite limited space within the press/public galleries at such locations.

The feed is not technically controlled by the court, but it is made with their agreement. A journalist working for the media companies (BBC, ITN, SKY and I think PA) is normally there and controls the cameras and what comes out. There is a slight delay to it, but the broadcasters usually get a preview from the journalist about what we can expect to see & hear during the hearing. This includes whether we are likely to lose the feed at certain points.

I think it can work different outside London, with broadcasters possibly taking it turn.

This is what was said at the time of launch:

[*]Broadcasters will only be able to film High Court and Senior Circuit judges sitting in the Crown Court and will need to obtain permission from the judiciary in advance.
[*]Filming will be subject to the usual reporting restrictions and appropriately edited before leaving the courtroom. In the case where filming is to be broadcast live, there will be a short delay before broadcast to avoid any breach of reporting restrictions or any other error.
[*]HMCTS will retain copyright of the footage, and HMCTS, MoJ and Judicial Office will be able to access any footage taken by broadcasters.
[*]The full sentencing remarks of any case broadcast will be hosted on a website to which the public has access.
[*]Filming is already permitted in the Supreme Court, however this is carried out by the court itself and separate from this contract.

www.gov.uk