Covering the United States Supreme Court in the Digital Age

by Richard Davis (Editor)

Overview

The U.S. 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781107642492
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	08/04/2016
Pages:	282
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 8.98(h) x 0.59(d)

About the Author

Richard Davis is a Professor of Political Science and Director of the Office of Civic Engagement at Brigham Young University, Utah. He holds a PhD in Political Science from Syracuse University, New York. He is the author of several books on the role of the media in American politics, and is past chair of the political communication section of the American Political Science Association.

Table of Contents

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.

Editorial Reviews

"The relationship between the US Supreme Court and the news media has always been fraught with tension, as journalists seek to cover an institution that covets its privacy and secrecy. The rapid development of new media platforms and technology has only intensified these strains. This book takes a comprehensive and engaging look at the relationship today and in the past. Both the media and the judiciary have much to learn from its findings."
Tony Mauro, Supreme Court correspondent for The National Law Journal and the Supreme Court Brief newsletter

"Davis' edited collection offers a veritable candy store for exploring the relationship between the Supreme Court and the press in the digital media age. Portraying the ‘symbiotic’ relationship between a public institution wishing to keep its decisional processes veiled and a press corps bent on penetrating those processes, the anthology offers a set of readings revealing the tensions between the Court and the press invariably caused by their conflicting goals and objectives. The diverse offerings in the reader succeed in revealing the complexity of the Court/press interface through a balance of original empirical research, the perspectives of members of the Court’s press corps, and the perspectives of the Justices themselves. The result is essential reading for those wishing to understand an historic relationship through uniquely contemporary lenses."
Elliot E. Slotnick, Professor Emeritus, The Ohio State University

"… 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

From the Publisher