Our first job is always reporting. We share stories others can’t. Or won’t.
But there’s a lot that goes into this work before we hit publish on a story.
Increasingly, one of The Tribune’s key roles is to ensure transparency. Today I’d like to tell you about one of many fights we wage to shine a light, this one in the courtroom where Tyler Robinson will stand trial for allegedly killing Charlie Kirk.
The trial has not officially started, but Robinson’s defense has been busy.
Over the past four months, it has tried to restrict public access to case filings, attempted to exclude cameras from court hearings and has tried to close the courtroom mid-hearing.
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled courts should be open, writing that “[I]t is difficult for [people] to accept what they are prohibited from observing,” in Richmond Newspapers, Inc. v. Virginia.
The Tribune has fought, in collaboration with other media entities, for open access no fewer than 15 times in the last four months (the judge has ruled in favor of transparency each time).
This fight — which is in your interest, so you can know what’s happening in the courtroom — has already cost more than $22,000 (your taxpayer dollars are paying for both the prosecution and defense).
The Tribune’s legal budget is modest. We don’t have a lawyer on staff. Your support helps us preserve access, in this case and others.
Each time Robinson’s defense tries to close the courtroom, we go to bat to keep it open, with a lot of help from our lawyer, Mike Judd of Parsons Behle and Latimer.
The case is a big one, and not just for us. CNN, Fox, the AP, Reuters, The New York Times and others are covering it. That’s in addition to the Deseret News, KSL, Fox13 and local news organizations from Lehi to St. George.
We asked all of these organizations at the outset to co-sign each filing that sought to secure an open courtroom.
When the bills came in, I reached out to the lawyers for the national news organizations — from The New York Times to Fox — asking if they’d help cover our costs.
I only had to ask once.
Within 48 hours, all of them committed to sharing initial costs. Which, when split among all partners, is $3,666 for each organization, including The Tribune.
This willingness to work together gives me hope. Organizations across an ideological spectrum are standing together in support of transparency and accountability in government, building public confidence in judicial outcomes.
Trust is built on transparency. Regardless of whether you’re a progressive or a conservative, Republican or Democrat or independent, we can agree Utahns deserve open and transparent government.
Thank you to those who support this work. You can do so here, if you haven’t yet.
- Lauren Gustus is Executive Editor and CEO of The Tribune.
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