Video cameras in court should be resisted and some of the media's court privileges removed in the interests of justice, according to two of Scotland's most high-profile lawyers.
Criminal defence lawyer Aamar Anwar, whose clients have included MSP Tommy Sheridan and acquitted Glasgow "ice cream wars" accused TC Campbell, said allowing television cameras into court would lead to the "Hollywood-isation" of the justice system.
The media does not have "a genuine interest" in justice, he said.
Current press freedoms such as the right to film in the street should be restricted, court bloggers should be limited and contempt of court laws extended, Mr Anwar said.
Donald Findlay QC, who has represented mass murderer Peter Tobin and teenage killer Luke Mitchell, said there is a "crying need for regulation" of bloggers and social media commentators.
He also called for tougher penalties for jurors who look up previous convictions on the internet and argued that allowing court cases to be filmed will lead to "trial by television".
But former BBC solicitor Alistair Bonnington argued that Scotland's contempt of court laws are already among the most restrictive in Europe, and that even President Obama has struggled to regulate freedom of speech on the internet.
He called on the police and the Crown Office to trust the media to report responsibly and trust jurors to discern between online speculation and courtroom evidence.
The three men were giving evidence to the Justice Committee's investigation into the role of the media in criminal trials.
