While there is still no news on whether the trial challenging California’s Proposition 8 will be televised, the court has issued guidance for press wanting to cover the trial, including news that Tweets from inside the courtroom will be permitted.
Karen Ocamb at LGBT POV has been following the story on how the trail will be covered, and points to a 12-page guide and website produced by the federal court in San Francisco for media folks hoping to cover the trial. According to the guide, laptops will be allowed in court–which is not always the case–and that while reporters shouldn’t be chatting on the phone, they can use their phones for tweets and other text messages.
Cell phones, pagers and other devices may NOT be used except for text functions and must be turned off or set to vibrate mode in the courtroom. “Tweeting” is a permitted form of texting. Cell phones may be used in the hallways outside the courtrooms and other public areas.
For those unfamiliar with covering court proceedings, the guide is actually a good primer on covering the courts and a reminder that courts continue to have their own form of etiquette that is different from pretty much any other venue.