In 1974 the Washington State Association of Broadcasters spearheaded an effort to introduce the use of cameras in state courtrooms. Three Seattle commercial television stations, KIRO, KOMO, and KING, each filmed a day in the negligent homicide trial of Thomas Dean Fetter in King County Superior Court, Judge Stanley C. Soderland presiding. Besides recording the testimony each day, this "Cameras in the Courtroom" film includes post-trial interviews with the participants who by and large respond that the presence of the cameras neither distracted nor influenced their behavior. Though the footage was never broadcast, the film begins with a reporter "lead-in." Washington State University Communications Professor Val Limburg noted that the "film became an instrument to help judges change their mind about allowing cameras into their courtrooms" (1987 May 22 memo in MS 2002-17; a copy is filed with the collection).
This collection consists of a three-part 16 mm film "Cameras in the Courtroom" that records footage from the 1974 negligent homicide trial of Thomas Dean Fetter in King County Superior Court.
The collection is arranged in a single series.
This collection is open and available for research use.
Copyright restrictions apply.
[Item Description] Washington State Association of Broadcasters Films, 1974
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.
Professor of Communications Val Limburg donated this collection to the Washington State University Libraries in 1997 (MS 1997-34).
This collection was processed by Susan Vetter in 2015.
Val Limburg Papers, MS 2002-17
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