The Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Courts and Media offers a program for judges to gain skill in dealing with the media and more effective public outreach. This course is highly acclaimed and was featured on CNN's Paula Zahn Now show in June, 2005.

Presented in collaboration with the Conference of Court Public Information Officers and the Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno

Today’s courts are frequently the source of news media stories. The tension between the First Amendment and the Sixth Amendment is often present. This highly successful course provides judges with an understanding of the role of the press. More importantly, it provides judges with methods of preparing for and becoming more comfortable with the media. Judges will receive hands-on, individual training on interview techniques to successfully interact with the media. Topics covered include the judge as a reporter vs. the judge as a public official, free press and fair trial, working with the news media, the media interview, the gag order, cameras in the courtroom and journalism ethics.

The NCCM faculty provide intensive training and concentrated individual assistance for judges at this three-day workshop at The National Judicial College in Reno, NV.

This workshop is especially valuable for presiding judges and other judges whose duties include frequent contact with reporters and editors.

• Understand more clearly what the culture of the news media is and what values journalists bring to their jobs in covering the courts.
• Know where to start in creating a publicity campaign to promote some aspect of the court’s work.
• Understand how interviews are conducted and what some general ground rules are.
• Gain greater insight into what potential difficulties arise through interviews and how to avoid problem areas.
• Understand how to be interviewed by the press and how to provide appropriate responses.
• Understand the role of the public information officer as the liaison between the courts and the reporters.
• Gain insight into the difficulties public information officers can face when attempting to assist the media while also protecting the interests of the court.
• Understand how judicial ethical rules can create an inherent tension between judges and journalists.
• Understand how the separate ethical guidelines for both judges and journalists are applied in balancing the concerns in achieving both a “fair trial” and a “free press.”
• Understand how the tensions between the First Amendment (Free Press) and Sixth Amendment (Fair Trial) can surface in the course of a trial.