Negotiating open justice, media logic, and ethics: a communication model for live courtroom journalism in Indonesia

Live broadcasting of court hearings positions journalism within a negotiated space among open justice commitments, media logic, and professional ethics. This study explores how such negotiation unfolds in the daily practice of a national television news outlet’s live trial coverage. Using a qualitative descriptive case study, we gathered data through semi-structured interviews with five key informants (producer, assignment editor, programme director, field reporter, and camera operator), limited control room observation during live transmission, and document review of regulatory texts including Indonesia’s Broadcasting Behavior Guidelines and Programme Standards (P3SPS), the Journalistic Code of Ethics, and Supreme Court Regulation No. 5/2020. The result show (1) tensions between open justice and courtroom restrictions, mitigated through selective permissions, transmission delays, and self-censorship; (2) the dominance of media logic such as ratings, speed, and visuals balanced through curated imagery and avoidance of speculative commentary; (3) ethics and regulation compliance via internal newsroom procedures; and (4) public legal-education strategies through expert commentary and procedural framing. We synthesize “Journalistic Practice in Live Trials,” which conceptualizes courtroom broadcasting as a negotiated intersection of open justice, media logic, and professional ethics, carrying implications for governance and professional practice in court reporting.