Greg King speaks at Wintec Press Club
New Zealand’s top defence lawyer Greg King, discussed the media’s role during the Scott Guy murder trial in Hamilton last week.
Video by: Zoe Hunter and Shannon Rolfe
New Zealand’s top defence lawyer Greg King, discussed the media’s role during the Ewen MacDonald murder trial in Hamilton last week.
About 100 guests including third year Wintec journalists and media personalities such as Te Radar listened to King who spoke at the Ferrybank conference centre on August 31.
King spoke about the public’s interest in the media’s “commentary” of the Ewen MacDonald trial.
He said the public obsessing about a murder trial is nothing new, but questioned the media’s role during an ongoing case.
He asked is a case media fuelled, or is media fulfilling public appetite.
“At the end of the day it involved an allegation that one person had killed another. Sadly speaking that happens many times a year. But for some reason this one took on a life of its own.”
King described the media as surrogates to the public.
He questioned if the media is there to bring the truth to the public, or if getting the story is simply to sell a newspaper.
He said New Zealand allows extended media coverage inside a court room and very few other nations in the world permit that.
Ewen MacDonald was only permitted to be filmed for the first 15 minutes each day, King told the audience.
Those images of him would then be juxtaposed with footage from later in the day as if he was reacting to something being said in the courtroom.
King criticised television’s focus on selected highlights. He gave the example of screening a close up shot of a hand without a wedding ring.
“It’s like trying to judge an entire 20/20 cricket game by one ball being bowled.”
Third year Wintec journalist Mackenzie McCarty says the event is a benefit to the students.
“It’s also an opportunity to schmooze with some of the country’s crème de le crème.”
