Overview
Description
Understanding interaction of media and the courts, including threats to justice by media coverage, includes examination of the tension between the First and Sixth Amendments.
Units
Lecture3
Catalog Details
Offering
Offered: Every Fall - Odd Years
Terms
fall
Attributes
Standard
Learning Outcomes
- communicate the role of the press in society, particularly as a watchdog to provide people the information they need to self-govern.
- describe journalists’ thinking, motivations, constraints, and work practices in covering the judicial system.
- explain the historical and legal underpinnings of the rights of the press to cover judicial proceedings while balancing the rights of defendants to a fair trial.
- apply legal standards to decide if information should be withheld from the public through the sealing of court records or closure of proceedings.
- evaluate and apply the existing solutions for resolving bench/bar/press issues that might arise in courtrooms.
- implement strategies for protecting the sanctity of the judicial system without placing undue burdens on the First Amendment rights of the public and the press.
- demonstrate ability to interact more effectively with journalists to resolve conflict and communicate the needs of the courts while maintaining transparency and public trust.
- apply communication theories and methodologies (e.g., survey, experiment, content analysis) to legal research questions.