Courting The Media

Media relations are not just for the rich and famous. Mackenzie takes readers behind the scenes of high-profile cases in which men, women, and even children were thrust into the spotlight—many because they were victims of unwarranted prosecution by the justice system and inaccurate depiction by the press. With media-savvy guidance from Mackenzie, these people and their lawyers successfully challenged the prejudiced portraits that police and prosecutors tried to present. In this book, Mackenzie also weighs in on celebrity cases, analyzing how they and their lawyers used the media to their advantage, or how they failed to do so. Mackenzie is a consummate expert in the use of media relations in the court of law. Her conviction that a right to demand a fair portrayal by the press must not be reserved for the prosecution or the wealthy has propelled her career as she has fought for the falsely accused, the unjustly portrayed, and their families. The media coverage of suspects or defendants by CNN, the nightly news, the New York Times, or the local paper affects the court of public opinion, even before their trials, and is often as important as what happens in front of a judge or jury. Private industry and corporations have long used media consultants. Prosecutors have public information officers to advise their lawyers. To level the playing field, all lawyers need to be ready to represent their clients before the media as well as the jury. Not only can this be done ethically, but as Mackenzie shows in this book, given what defendants are up against today, it may be unethical to ignore the media when the other side is using every possible opportunity to advance their portrayal of the accused or the victim.

This special anthology of papers investigates the relationship of contemporary mass and communicative media, and legal practice, decision making and regulation. The volume has two main areas: representations of law events in mass media, and use of digital and video media in legal practice. Topics include the use of video and digital tools in courtroom proceedings, and consequent understanding of video as a medium; the use of media technology in court case management, and televised proceedings of court. A special theme of the volume will be on how digital and new media, and audio-visual technology generally, can become a tool or accessory in mediation the process and outcome of legal administration, mediation and decision-making. However the two areas, of mass and new media, will be seen as inter-related. Attention will be also given to past, present and potential role of media in courtroom, mediation and client setting, and in case administration.

The essays discuss the restrictions imposed by contempt of court and other laws on media freedom to attend and report legal proceedings. Part I contains leading articles on the open justice principle. They examine the extent to which departures from that principle should be allowed to protect the rights of parties, in particular the accused in criminal proceedings, to a fair trial, and their interest in being rehabilitated in society after proceedings have been concluded. The essays in Part II examine the topical issue of whether open justice entails a right to film and broadcast legal proceedings. The articles in Part III are concerned with the application of contempt of court to prejudicial media publicity; they discuss whether it is possible to prevent prejudice without sacrificing media freedom. Another aspect of media freedom and contempt of court is canvassed in Part IV: whether journalists should enjoy a privilege not to reveal their sources of information.

Media relations are not just for the rich and famous. Mackenzie takes readers behind the scenes of high-profile cases in which men, women, and even children were thrust into the spotlight—many because they were victims of unwarranted prosecution by the justice system and inaccurate depiction by the press. With media-savvy guidance from Mackenzie, these people and their lawyers successfully challenged the prejudiced portraits that police and prosecutors tried to present. In this book, Mackenzie also weighs in on celebrity cases, analyzing how they and their lawyers used the media to their advantage, or how they failed to do so. Mackenzie is a consummate expert in the use of media relations in the court of law. Her conviction that a right to demand a fair portrayal by the press must not be reserved for the prosecution or the wealthy has propelled her career as she has fought for the falsely accused, the unjustly portrayed, and their families. The media coverage of suspects or defendants by CNN, the nightly news, the New York Times, or the local paper affects the court of public opinion, even before their trials, and is often as important as what happens in front of a judge or jury. Private industry and corporations have long used media consultants. Prosecutors have public information officers to advise their lawyers. To level the playing field, all lawyers need to be ready to represent their clients before the media as well as the jury. Not only can this be done ethically, but as Mackenzie shows in this book, given what defendants are up against today, it may be unethical to ignore the media when the other side is using every possible opportunity to advance their portrayal of the accused or the victim.

"Spreadable Media" maps fundamental changes taking place in the contemporary media environment, a space where corporations no longer tightly control media distribution. This book challenges some of the prevailing frameworks used to describe contemporary media.

Is it ethical to pass yourself off as black if you are Caucasian, as Rachel Dolezai, the president of a local chapter of the NAACP, did in 2015? Was it ethical for Donald Sterling, the former owner of the NBA team, to use racially inflammatory language? Is it ethical to exaggerate or fabricate the importance of one’s role, as Brian Williams apparently did when he anchored the NBC nightly news? Is it ethical for a journalist to pay a source for a story, tips, and photos, as TMZ, Gawker and others do regularly? The above questions as well as other questions definitely illustrate the need for studying ethics. Real-World Media Ethics provides a wide showcase of real ethical issues faced by professionals in the media field. Numerous case studies allow readers to explore multiple perspectives while using realistic ethical principles. This book includes the basics in ethical journalism, as well as the tools to navigate through the landscape of mass media such as public relations, entertainment and other forms of visual communication. The second edition has been updated to encompass globalization, new media platforms, current copyright issues, net neutrality, sports ethics, and more. An accompanying companion website provides additional interviews demonstrating ethical principles in practice. Being a former ABC executive, author Philippe Perebinossoff gives readers an inside look at circumstances with an ethical, experienced eye.