No Cameras In the Courtroom? Try Puppets Instead!

The Wall Street Journal reports that a news station, WOIO 19 is covering one of Ohio's biggest corruption trials using puppets in a show called The Puppet's Court.  Because cameras are not allowed in the courtroom, reporter Kirk Maynard reenacts bits of testimony and trial with scenes like this: 

 

According to the WSJ, 

The result is a cross between "The Sopranos" and "The Muppet Show" that has elicited some complaints from viewers and hand-wringing from journalism professors. But since the trial began in January, "The Puppet's Court" has led a ratings surge for the station's late news show and won praise from some politicians.

I, personally, think it is one of the funniest things I've ever seen, and a genuinely creative response to some of the absurdities of American courts.  Perhaps next year I'll allow my students to perform a puppet show in lieu of the final exam.

RJE