For Public Officials, Being Tried in the Press is Right

  Being tried in the press should not be viewed as such a negative thing.
   It should be an honored practice.
   Okay, hold on, I know you think of rumors and innuendos and slanders and mud raking. False charges, then, get their moments in the press. But, for every rumor and innuendo, if the press is working honestly, there will be an answer.
   What happened to my copy of the Constitution? There it is. I reach for it, and review how the Sixth Amendment speaks of trials being public. Yes, it is talking of criminal prosecutions. But, I can't help thinking the principle applies. I'm not speaking of street gossip about neighbors and friends and people who are not in the news to begin with. But, yes, I am talking about public officials. 
   Their matters are public matters. Trying them in the press is one place where they should be tried. Let the courts decide what they may, the matter also remains a public matter.
   I say this because of the John Swallow controversy. Some have suggested we should let the matter run its course in the courts. Yes, of course we should. But, that does not mean stories and discussions are to be preempted until the courts have had their say. The court of public opinion should be a valid court. Rather than silencing it, we should embrace it. 
   I think of another part of the Sixth Amendment, where it speaks of the accused having the right to witnesses in his favor. This, too, should be a vital part of being tried in the press (and it is). For every accusation, the accused should be given repeated opportunities and invitations to reply.