Media and American Courts: A Reference Handbook

S. L. Alexander

Jun 2004 · ABC-CLIO

About this ebook

A unique reference work exploring the interaction of ever more pervasive media and the U.S. judicial system in the 20th century.

At a time when two-thirds of local news is crime- or court-related, when Court TV broadcasts daily, and when one lurid case can push all other news aside, Media and American Courts: A Reference Handbook offers a much-needed examination of how the press and the judicial system interact. Despite the benefits (a better-informed public, judicial accountability), has expanded coverage of the courts in fact weakened our democracy?

Media and American Courts approaches this question by exploring the cases, the personalities, and the controversies that have redefined the court/press relationship in the past century as the media expanded from print and radio to courtroom cameras, cable, and the World Wide Web. It also includes suggestions from legal and media experts for making court news more accurate, informative, and useful.

Ratings and reviews

This book by S.L. Alexander provides the reader with both the necessary historical perspective to understand the increased media coverage of the court system and access to landmark cases in which additional rights were awarded to the media. Essentially, this book focuses on enhancing the reader’s understanding of the evolution of the media and the judicial system while proposing several solutions that are designed to balance freedoms with protections. Reviewed by: YASAMAN BAGHERYAN

About the author

S. L. Alexander, PhD, is a professional journalist who serves as coordinator of communications law in the Department of Communications at Loyola University, New Orleans, LA.