The Supreme Court last week ruled that even if people who have become the subject of coverage by a broadcaster come to have expectations concerning a broadcast program, such expectations, in principle, are not subject to legal protection.
The ruling helps to protect freedom of expression on the part of the media. But the media should realize that while they must gain the trust of those they cover in order to get information, their reporting must not compromise the truth.
In January 2001, NHK broadcast a documentary of a mock trial on Japan's wartime military sexual slavery. The group that organized the event cooperated with production workers whose explanations led it to expect that an overall picture of the trial would be broadcast. However, NHK deleted the verdict of the trial, which found the Emperor Showa and the government guilty, and the group filed a damages suit against NHK and two production firms.