Covering The Courts

News coverage of law can be a daunting task for any journalist, especially in a time when public interest in media coverage of the courts has greatly intensified. The second edition of Covering the Courts provides the most up-to-date resources for journalists and students. Detailed descriptions of each step of the judicial process along with tips from top journalists allow for a comprehensive analysis of courtroom activities. This handbook also addresses the complex issues surrounding the free press/fair trial controversy, pre-trial publicity, and the various types of news coverage allowed across the country. New discussions include recent high-profile trials such as US v Microsoft, the 2000 presidential election, and cases relating to the terrorist attacks of 9/11. This book is a substantial resource for journalism students and journalists covering the modern legal system.

"With a specific, thorough, and practical approach, this text is an engaging and accessible introduction to the American court system, its players, language, and impact on the public". -- BACKCOVER.

The Reporter and the Law is an insider's view of how the legal system and the press work together. Lyle Denniston begins from the premise that the law and its institutions are the public's business and that the journalist's responsibility is to appreciate, understand, and evaluate the legal process and to convey that reasoned comprehension to the public. To facilitate this task, Denniston dispels the cloud of mystery that surrounds legalese, defines the jargon of both the legal and the journalistic professions, and explains how each discipline depends on the other to perform its task properly.

Covering the Courts shows how writers and journalists deal with present-day major trials, such as those involving Timothy McVeigh and O.J. Simpson. The volume features such outstanding contributors as Linda Deutsch and Fred Graham, and provides an in-depth look at the performance of the court in an age of heightened participation by reporters, camera operators, social scientists, major moguls of network radio and television, and advocates of special causes.The volume does far more than discuss specific cases. Indeed, it is a major tool in the study of the new relationships between a free press and a fair trial. Interestingly, a consensus is described in which the parties involved in efforts to balance freedom of the press and the right to a fair trial are moving in tandem. In this regard, sensitive issues ranging from the universality of law to the particularity of racial, religious, and gender claims, are explored with great candor.The volume also turns the intellectual discourse to its major players: the members of the press, the lawyers, and the judiciary. Has there been a shift from reporting functions to entertainment values? Does television and live presentation shift the burden from the contents of a case to the photogenic and star quality of players? What excites and intrigues the public: serious disturbances to the peace and mass mayhem, such as the Oklahoma bombings or sexual adventures of entertainment and sports figures? The findings are sometimes disturbing, but the reading is never dull. This book will be of interest to journalists, lawyers, and the interested general public.This volume is the latest in the Transaction Media Studies Series edited by Everette E. Dennis, dean of the school of communication at Fordham University. The volume itself is edited by Robert Giles, the editor, and Robert W. Snyder, the managing editor, of Media Studies Journal. The original contributions were initially presented at The Freedom Forum and its Media Studies Center.

Crime reporting, in one form or another, is as old as crime itself. Almost all young reporters have spent some time on this beat, and their work affects all of us. Covering Canadian Crime offers a deep and detailed look at perennial issues in crime reporting and how changes in technology, business practices, and professional ethics are affecting today’s crime coverage. Social media in the courtroom, the stigmatization of mental illness, the influence of police media units, the practice of knocking on victims’ doors, the culture of masculinity in the newsroom: these are among the topics of discussion, explored from various disciplinary perspectives and combined with poignant interviews and thought-provoking introspection from seasoned journalists such as Christie Blatchford, Timothy Appleby, Linden MacIntyre, Kim Bolan, and Peter Edwards. A critical account of the challenges involved in crime reporting in ethical, informed, and powerful ways, Covering Canadian Crime poses the questions that reporters, journalism students, and the public at large need to ask and to answer.

Any practitioner faced with the decision as to whether to appeal, or who has questions arising at each stage, will benefit enormously from a book that examines the law, principles, procedures, and processes involved. This leading work has been updated and restructured, to ensure it provides guidance on the complete and complex process of making a civil appeal. Clearly written and cross referenced, the books UK/European coverage of appeals includes: -- District Judges to Circuit Judges in the County Court -- Masters and District Judges to High Court Judges -- Court of Appeal -- House of Lords -- Privy Council -- The European Court -- The European Court of Human Rights -- Administrative Law and Elections

In a time of upheaval for journalism, local news is flourishing. People want to know about the chemical spill on the highway, the kidnapping trial in district court, the cuts in the school budget. News organizations have a constant need for both professional and citizen journalists who can report those stories accurately and interestingly. In the latest installment of the Field Guide series, Fred Bayles takes you step-by-step through the process of identifying and covering the events and issues that matter most to your community. For the five local beats--cops, courts, emergencies, schools, and government--you′ll learn where to go for information and how to organize and present the stories your neighbors want and need. An overview of tools and techniques include tips on how to find sources, conduct interviews, work with editors, tap the power of the crowd and think multimedia. Then, for each beat, you′ll get specifics on: People: The best official and unofficial sources of info, and what to ask them. Places: Where to go on the beat, and what to look for while you′re there. Documents: Where to find records in offices and online, how to decipher and use them. Stories: Overview of common story types and how to go beyond them. Resources: Glossary of key terms, checklists, helpful web links. Additional features expand your knowledge base: Beat Backgrounders sort out the basics, like the difference between civil and criminal cases. Judgment Call prepares you for the tough ethical questions a journalist faces every day. From the Beat/Source provides tips from an experienced reporter or shares the insights of a public figure in the know. On the Web features online reporting and presentation, blogging worth emulating. Assignments build confidence and knowledge. Good stories are everywhere. With the Field Guide to Covering Local News, find them, report them, and show your audience why they matter. Local news helps people become better citizens, and helps journalists master the skills they′ll use for their entire careers. Grab this book and get started.