SAPPORO - The documentary film 'Yusaburareru Seigi' (Shaken Justice) is prompting fresh debate over how the media approaches sensitive legal cases, as it explores the assumptions and consequences of press reporting on so-called "shaken baby syndrome."
The film’s director, Daisuke Ueda, a former lawyer turned Kansai TV journalist, said he was first drawn to the topic during his own experience raising an infant, questioning whether a caregiver could truly shake a baby three times per second, as prosecutors often allege.
As Ueda delved deeper, he encountered troubling patterns in how investigations proceed once medical experts label symptoms as the result of shaking, with police and prosecutors frequently operating on the assumption that abuse occurred — even when the accused parent was deeply caring. Ueda said he was particularly struck by how a single missed detail in a doctor’s brain imaging testimony had the power to overturn a conviction, underscoring how preconceived narratives can shape justice.
The film also reflects on the media’s role in these cases: Ueda recalled many affected families confronting journalists with questions like "Why did you report it that way?" and "Why didn’t you include our side of the story?"
This criticism, he said, forced him to confront the limitations and responsibilities of reporting and question how journalism itself can harm people when it follows rigid internal rules. 'Yusaburareru Seigi' opens on October 11 at Theater Kino in Sapporo, with screenings planned in Hakodate and Tomakomai in early November.
Source: 北海道ニュースUHB
