"And if you take the cameras out of the courtroom, then you hide, I think, a certain measure of truth from the public, and I think that's very important for the American public to know"
About this Quote
The subtext is about legitimacy in an era when trust in institutions is negotiated in public. Courtrooms run on procedure, but high-profile trials run on perception. Ito frames visibility as civic education: Americans should “know” not only the verdict, but the messy mechanics that produce it - objections, delays, evidentiary limits, judicial restraint. That’s the kind of “truth” that rarely survives punditry.
Context matters: Ito is inseparable from the O.J. Simpson trial, where cameras amplified everything - including performance, spectacle, and racialized scrutiny. His defense of cameras reads like a preemptive rebuttal to critics who blamed television for turning justice into entertainment. He’s betting that exposure, even when chaotic, is less corrosive than secrecy. It’s a faith in sunlight, but also a recognition that in modern America, authority isn’t merely exercised; it’s audited in real time.
Quote Details
| Topic | Justice |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Ito, Lance. (2026, January 16). And if you take the cameras out of the courtroom, then you hide, I think, a certain measure of truth from the public, and I think that's very important for the American public to know. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/and-if-you-take-the-cameras-out-of-the-courtroom-92158/
Chicago Style
Ito, Lance. "And if you take the cameras out of the courtroom, then you hide, I think, a certain measure of truth from the public, and I think that's very important for the American public to know." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/and-if-you-take-the-cameras-out-of-the-courtroom-92158/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"And if you take the cameras out of the courtroom, then you hide, I think, a certain measure of truth from the public, and I think that's very important for the American public to know." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/and-if-you-take-the-cameras-out-of-the-courtroom-92158/. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
