Description

The Association of Prosecuting Attorneys (APA), with support from The Just Trust and hosted by the Princeton University School of Public and International Affairs, will convene a Symposium on Ethical Communications in Criminal Cases on March 19–20, 2026, at Princeton University. Over the course of a day and a half, justice system stakeholders, media leaders, advocates, and academics will examine how criminal cases are communicated to the public and the role of each stakeholder in ensuring those communications are fair, accurate, and legally sound.

The symposium will explore modern media challenges, highlight bipartisan principles developed at Princeton that emphasize fairness, accountability, safety, and human dignity, and identify both the scope of the problem and the promising practices that can strengthen public trust in the justice system. The goal of this symposium is to establish a shared approach to advancing ethical communications in criminal cases, serving as a launchpad for collaborative standards, model policies, and practical tools to guide responsible communication nationwide.