Day 8 — Media, Crime, Criminal Justice

Day 8: Tuesday, June 5, 2018 – Media and the Courts 

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To stay on track: 1) Today is the last day of meetings. 2) You should be finishing up your visual component including its self-assessment.

Dates to Remember:

— June 5th – Last day of meetings

— June 6th, at the beginning of class – Visual Component due

Topic: Media & the Courts 

Preparatory Readings:

• • Potter and Kappeler. Constructing Crime . entirety.
  • Rafter. Shots in the Mirror. Chapter 5
  • Surette. Media, Crime and Criminal Justice . Chapter 6.
  • Documentary: “Murder on a Sunday Morning, ” “Night Court,” and “12 Angry Men”  (to be shown in class)

Lecture related links:

• • W.I. Thomas “Definition of the Situation
  • Theory, Policy, Practice 
  • “Who’s Habermas? Why Habermas?”

Concepts to be covered:

• • echo effect
  • prejudicial publicity
  • Freedom of Information Act
  • Government in Sunshine Act
  • closure
  • restrictive orders
  • protective orders
  • Voir dire
  • continuance
  • change of venue
  • sequestration
  • jury instructions
  • shield law
  • due process

Discussion Questions:

Note: In order to answer these discussion questions, you will need to view “Murder on a Sunday Morning,” “Night Court,” and “12 Angry Men” (all to be shown in class),  and read this week’s readings. Due: Wednesday, June 6th.

1.    Discuss how case processing in real courtrooms compares with those shown in the media.  In other words, explain how crime shows violate an adherence to due process protections, and how civil liberties, judges, attorneys, and the judicial system are portrayed positively and negatively. [Surette, p. 151] Incorporate Rafter into your answer.   
2.    Discuss why, even though the courts determine what happens to offenders, media portraits of the courts are fewer in number than those of law enforcement. [Surette, p. 152]

Learning Beyond:

Note:  Other things you might want to explore beyond this week’s materials. 

• • Attend a session of first appearances at the local courthouse and compare the processing of cases there with jusitical processing shown in the media. [Surette]
  • Find out  how and why Court TV was created. How popular is Court TV? Who are some of its competitors? Why.   
  • View one of the following movies: “12 Angry Men,” Judgment at Nuremburg,” Witness for the Prosecution,” And Justice for Allm” “To Kill a Mockingbird,” or “Runaway Jury.” Compare and contrast the media construction of the courts with how courts really operate. 
  • In 2016, “creepy clowns” have received much media attention. Trace the origins and recent developments of the “creepy clown” issue. 
  • Compare and contrast several different news broadcasts (local, national or international). What are some similarities and differences? Why.  
  • What are some of the sound bites we hear most often during the 2016 presidential campaign. Why. 

 

Recommended Readings:

— Frankie Bailey & Steven Chermak. Famous American Crimes and Trials.

— Heideh Nasheri. Crime and Justice in the Age of Court TV.

— William Haltom. Reporting on the Courts: How the Mass Media Cover Judicial Actions.

— Janice Schuetz & Lin Lilley. The O.J. Simpson Trials.

— Edward J. Gerald. News of Crime: Courts and Press in Conflict.

— Lawrence Lessig. Free Culture: How Big Media Uses Technology and the Law to Lock Down Culture and Control Creativity. 

• • Gaye Tuchman. The TV Establishment.
  • Herbert Schiller. Mind Managers.
  • Herbert Schiller. Information Inequality.
  • Todd Gitlin. Media Unlimited: How the Torrent of Images and Sounds Overwhelm Our Senses.
  • Todd Gitlin. The Whole World is Watching.
  • Robert McChesney. Rich Media, Poor Democracy.
  • Bernard Goldberg. Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News.
  • Bernard Goldberg. Arrogance: Rescuing America from the Media Elite.

 

takata@uwp.edu

 Updated: May 11, 2018