Covering the United States Supreme Court in the Digital Age

This book examines the relationship between justices and the press including coverage of the institution and the effects of coverage on public opinion.

Richard Davis (Edited by)

9781107052451, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 11 August 2014

280 pages, 14 b/w illus.
23.5 x 15.6 x 1.9 cm, 0.51 kg

'… the Supreme Court still maintains a wary and watchful eye on the news media. Due to this strained relationship, there is relatively little research in the ways that the judges interact with the news media on a consistent basis … this volume is one step in reducing this gap in the literature … the scholarship present in Covering the United States Supreme Court in the Digital Age makes it a worthy read for those in the fields of both political science and media studies.' Kate Eugenis, Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly

The US Supreme Court seeks to withhold information about its deliberations, while the press's job is to report and disseminate this information. These two objectives conflict and create tension between the justices and the reporters who cover them; add to that the increasing demands for transparency in the digital age and the result is an interesting dynamic between an institution that seeks to preserve its opaqueness and a press corps that demands greater transparency. This volume examines the relationship between justices and the press through chapters that discuss facets such as coverage of the institution, the media's approach to the docket, and the effects of news coverage on public opinion. Additionally, two journalists who cover the court offer insights into the profession of reporting today, while two biographers of Supreme Court justices share the perspectives of those justices regarding the press.

1. The symbiotic relationship between the US Supreme Court and the press Richard Davis
2. How and why the Supreme Court remains undercovered Tyler Johnson
3. News coverage of the Supreme Court docket Terri L. Towner and Rosalee Clawson
4. The Supreme Court and new media technologies Vincent James Strickler
5. Explaining intermedia coverage of Supreme Court decisions Richard L. Vining, Jr and Phil Marcin
6. Constructing Harry Blackmun Eric N. Waltenberg and Rorie Spill Solberg
7. On and off the Supreme Court beat: differences in newspaper coverage of the Supreme Court and the implications for public support Nicholas LaRowe and Valerie Hoekstra
8. The placement of conflict: the Supreme Court and issue attention in the national media Joseph Daniel Ura
9. How traditional journalists cover the court in the new media age David G. Savage
10. The Supreme Court and new media Dahlia Lithwick
11. What the justices think of the press Laura Moyer and Matt Thornton
12. Justice Brennan and the press Seth Stern
13. Justice John Paul Stevens and the press: extra! Extra! Read all about it! Bill Barnhart.

Subject Areas: Courts & procedure [LNAA], Law [L], Media, information & communication industries [KNT], Politics & government [JP]