District Attorney And Major TV Network Sued Over Stupid Reality Show
from the campaigning-through-reality dept
The most tragically stupid decision was greenlighting a reality show about lawyers. No one cares about watching real-life lawyering. That’s why Nancy Grace exists — to boil salacious cases down to sound bites so viewers don’t have to watch real lawyers.
But almost as stupid was greenlighting a show about a district attorney on the eve of an election and not expecting to run afoul of campaign finance laws.
Imagine running against an incumbent armed with a glossy, major network reality show constantly hyping his effectiveness in office. In the context of a district attorney election, imagine having to run against Adam Schiff after everyone watched a Law & Order marathon.
If that seems unfair, one challenger agrees with you…
The Kings County D.A. election is coming up in September. Well, technically, the Democratic primary is coming up in September, but this is Brooklyn, so that’s really the only election that matters — the Democratic nominee got 99.98% of the vote in the general last time.
Incumbent Charles Hynes is set to star as a real-life Adam Schiff in the upcoming CBS reality show, “Brooklyn D.A.” Basically, watch Cops and then this show and you’ve made yourself a crass, exploitative, reality show version of Law & Order. Since half of the “stars” of this new reality show — based on the tip of Long Island — will be defendants facing time in the state pen, it brings new meaning to being “voted off the island.” It’s kind of “Survivor: Borough Hall”
The show is described in CBS press materials thusly:
“Created by veteran CBS News producer Patti Aronofsky, ‘Brooklyn D.A.’ follows the men and women of the Kings County District Attorney’s Office as they juggle more than 1,000 cases a week,” a press release states. “These hard-charging prosecutors have larger-than-life personalities both inside the courtroom and out. They’re eccentric and living right on the edge. They’re the people living the lives that Hollywood loves to write about.”
Well, that sounds gag-inducing. The promise of “larger-than-life personalities” is going to flop when the audience has to watch 40 minutes of jury selection.
Challenger Abe George does not like it one bit. He’s sued Hynes, the Hynes campaign committee, and CBS in New York County Supreme Court. Hynes is already preparing the “Abe George doesn’t even trust Kings County courts for his own lawsuits — how can we trust him as Kings County D.A.?” ad. George argues that the series is an improper gift to Hynes, granting him free advertising on a major network in advance of the election.
CBS countered:
CBS News spokeswoman Sonya McNair told Courthouse News that George should brush up on the Bill of Rights.
“We are surprised that this candidate would not know about the First Amendment,” McNair said in a statement. “This is obviously a publicity push by a politician.”
This is a poor PR move. The snarky tone and derisive statements about George as a candidate don’t do CBS any favors in a lawsuit where the network is trying to prove that they are NOT willing cheerleaders for the Hynes campaign.
Speaking of poor PR decisions, according to the complaint, Hynes described the impact of the show on the election to Reuters, saying, “if they couldn’t take me out then, boy, you’ll never take me out now.” Facepalm
CBS argues that the program is a news documentary and therefore escapes NY campaign finance laws that might apply if the program were a reality show produced for entertainment. And CBS has carefully marketed the show as a news program:
George claims that reply was disingenuous, given how CBS marketed the show on March 27.
“A new reality show will give us an inside look into the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office,” the press release stated, according to the complaint.
“CBS also expressly categorized its announcement on the website under ‘Entertainment.’ This website is still available as of the date of this complaint.
Double facepalm
CBS and Hynes may still be able to escape NY campaign finance laws based on Citizens United, which set the table for invalidating the journalistic exception in the new corporate free-for-all of electioneering. If drawing lines between media corporations and regular corporations violates equal protection, then CBS is free to campaign all it wants for Hynes.
And if that’s the case, might I suggest CBS can get started on a reality show following newly announced NYC mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner. They can call it, “Look At My Weiner.”
District Attorney Candidate Claims Incumbent’s ‘Reality Show’ Is a Gift [Courthouse News Service]
Campaigning as the Press: Citizens United and the Problem of Press Exemptions in Law [Nexus]
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Filed Under: campaigns, new york, reality tv
Comments on “District Attorney And Major TV Network Sued Over Stupid Reality Show”
This is the problem with campaign finance laws. Either you’re telling CBS they can’t do a show about the district attorney’s office (and thus violating freedom of the press), or you’re creating a giant loophole where one candidate could get an hour-long commercial.
Re: Re:
That is exactly how I see it. I think it was Obama buying about 30 minutes of tv-time for a commercial in 2008.
The question in the current legal climate would be if Hines has to buy the TV-time – which would get excruciatingly expensive – or if it is a neutral and balanced program without any political undertones. The whole question has to be answered through a more indebt analysis of the episodes.
When that is said, CBS is morally doing very bad in terms of timing. Had they decided to run the series after the election (and they could easily have done so…), there would be little reason to question the integrity!
I fully expect, if this is allowed, that the next POTUS will be the candidate that has a feature length heroic movie about him or her.
“If you push our SOPA style laws, we’ll ensure your victory by making a movie about you.”
Agreed, Nancy Grace is stupid.
Re: Re:
Nancy Grace is the devil.
Exposure
What about celebrities? They have an advantage over unknown candidates, but we don’t ban them from participating.
The problem with lobbyists and corporations getting better representation (often to the detriment of the public) is a real problem, but I don’t think curtailing free speech is the anwer.
Re: Exposure
Curtailing free speech is never the answer, to anything.
Re: Re: Exposure
Well, like my mom always said, take the good with the bad.
If free speech means I have to put up with some of those shenanigans from time to time, I am ok with it, this is bad no doubt, but there are other ways to counter this BS that doesn’t involve not allowing speech to happen, although CBS and others don’t come out looking good at all, they should have the right to do that show.
OMG I feel so dirty now.
Simple solution
Force them to delay airing it until after the election. Personally, given the abuses of the prosecutors in many DA’s offices, it might be good to have a camera shoved in their faces on a daily basis for a while. Can you imagine if we had a camera crew following Carmen Ortiz’s henchmen around 24/7 for awhile?
“And if that?s the case, might I suggest CBS can get started on a reality show following newly announced NYC mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner. They can call it, ?Look At My Weiner.?”
That sounds more like a Fox show.
Definitely a campaign finance violation
Corporations are not allowed to give money directly to political candidates, or gifts that are basically money. Even after Citizen’s United that’s still the law.
It’s also been ruled that lawyers/etc can’t work for free for a campaign doing their skilled work they charged $40+ dollars an hour to anyone else, as that’s also ‘gift’ to the campaign.
Desperate TV Producers
WOW – you have to be a very desperate TV Producer to make a reality show about Lawyers. Viewers prefer to watch their lawyers in fiction roles like in LA Law and Alley McBeal. Call my buddy who is best Personal Injury Lawyer Katy, TX
Lawyers
I am a lawyer and I can verify that something exciting enough to make a television audience interested for 30 seconds occurs once every 2-3 years. Watch ER…
everyone wants to sue someone these days why cant people just chill out i personally like law shows makes you think