EDITORIAL: Don't lock the press out of Kohberger trial

A group of news outlets covering the Kohberger case, including the Coeur d’Alene Press, recently sent a letter to the judge asking for better access to the upcoming trial. Our requests are simple and reasonable: Let one photographer in, save one seat for a reporter, improve the camera feeds and ease up on the gag order. But what we’re really asking for is something much bigger: the right to observe the trial on your behalf.

When reporters cover a trial, they’re acting as our eyes and ears. They’re trained to catch the details that matter, to ask the right questions, and to explain complex legal proceedings in ways all of us can understand. 

Here’s where things get really frustrating. The proposed system for getting a seat in the courtroom for the upcoming trial is basically a daily lottery based on who has the fastest internet at noon. Each day, the public will have a chance to log in and secure a seat for the follow day, which means that someone covering the trial may not be in the courtroom every day. Think about how ridiculous that is: A reporter covering the trial one day might lose their seat the next day because they weren’t able to win the reservation race. 

Courtrooms are one of the few places where you can see all three branches of government working together: laws made by the legislature, enforced by state or federal prosecutors and interpreted by judges. When courts shut out the press, they’re shutting out the public from understanding how their own government works. 

We aren’t asking for anything crazy here. One photographer for the whole press corps. One guaranteed seat for a reporter. Individual camera feeds instead of the tiny split-screen they’re working with now. And the ability to actually talk to lawyers to make sure we get the facts right.

These are just basic tools for doing the job the public needs us to do. Courts have handled high-profile cases before without shutting out the media. The requests in this letter have worked in other trials without causing problems or compromising anyone’s rights. 

The judge is trying to balance the defendant’s right to a fair trial with the public’s right to know what’s happening. That’s a tough job, and we respect that balancing act. But completely shutting out professional journalists doesn’t make the trial more fair. It just makes it less transparent. 

Grant these reasonable requests. Let the professionals do their jobs. Give the public the thorough, accurate coverage they deserve. Justice isn’t just about what happens in the courtroom. It’s about making sure everyone can see that justice is being done.