Publicity about an animal cruelty case can have a significant impact on the community, because it demonstrates that animal cruelty is a serious crime. Publicity can generate support for your agency and its goals. It can encourage concerned people to put pressure on public officials for better protection for animals.
Publicity can also bring in new evidence. For example, if a pet store owner is charged with selling diseased animals, press coverage may prompt pet store customers who were sold diseased animals to offer to testify.
Other animals in the community may be helped by pre-trial publicity. Pet owners who are treating their animals poorly may be motivated to improve by a cruelty case.
The drawback to pre-trial publicity is that the judge may find the case has been prejudiced by the public attention and dismiss the charges. You can greatly reduce the chance of this happening by observing these guidelines; when you make statements to the press, give only the facts of the case and avoid the temptation to make judgments or give legal opinions. Also, give only the information that is already available through public documents, such as the formal complaint.
You should also consider the record of the court before you make pre-trial statements to the press. If publicity generates public opinion on the side of animal protection, a judge who has been unsympathetic to animal cruelty prosecution may begin to feel different. But if the judge is known to be concerned about animal cruelty, it may be best not to jeopardize that concern with pre-trial publicity.
You should take advantage of any opportunities to make contacts with sympathetic reporters, as long as you don't risk hurting the current case. Good press contacts can help you in your role as public educator on animal care and responsible pet ownership.