Ken Burns got his way after Judge Ronald L. Ellis blocked New York City from getting their hands on footage the documentarian is set to use in his upcoming film "The Central Park Five."
U.S. Magistrate Ellis conceded that Burns was under the protection of freedom of speech and press, therefore, the city was blocked because it didn't provide enough evidence to overturn the production of this film.
"The Central Park Five" deals with the rape of Trisha Meili, who was 28 years old and an investment banker at the time. The date was 1989 and it took place in Central Park. Five men were acquitted of the crime after another man already in jail pleaded guilty. As a result, these five men sued the city for $250 million.
Now, the city is looking to defend itself and the lawyers are saying the film is biased and one-sided.
"While journalistic privilege under the law is very important, we firmly believe it did not apply here. This film is a one-sided advocacy piece that depicts the plaintiffs' version of events as undisputed fact. It is our view that we should be able to view the complete interviews, not just those portions that the filmmakers chose to include," said City attorney Celeste Koeleveld in a statement.
As for Burns, well, he's celebrating and extremely enthusiastic at that fact he and Florentine Films were given journalistic privileges which protects them under the first amendment. Burns and his team were "grateful for this important decision. This adds a layer of important protection to journalists and filmmakers everywhere," he said.
For those who don't recognize Burns, he is a well known documenter who has a great deal of love for the sport of baseball. His documentary series broken down into nine episodes dates baseball back to its beginnings when it was played in front of just a couple dozens of people and entrances cost about 25 cents.
Burns titled his work, "Baseball, The Tenth Inning."
Apparently, Burns will continue his successful work as a documenter and be allowed to publish his film after the judges blocked the city of New York.
If still available, you can watch the baseball documentary on NetFlix.
