Covering the United States Supreme Court in the Digital Age

The US Supreme Court seeks to withhold information about its deliberations, while the press's job is to report and disseminate this information. These two objectives conflict and create tension between the justices and the reporters who cover them; add to that the increasing demands for transparency in the digital age and the result is an interesting dynamic between an institution that seeks to preserve its opaqueness and a press corps that demands greater transparency. This volume examines the relationship between justices and the press through chapters that discuss facets such as coverage of the institution, the media's approach to the docket, and the effects of news coverage on public opinion. Additionally, two journalists who cover the court offer insights into the profession of reporting today, while two biographers of Supreme Court justices share the perspectives of those justices regarding the press.

1. The symbiotic relationship between the US Supreme Court and the press Richard Davis; 2. How and why the Supreme Court remains undercovered Tyler Johnson; 3. News coverage of the Supreme Court docket Terri L. Towner and Rosalee Clawson; 4. The Supreme Court and new media technologies Vincent James Strickler; 5. Explaining intermedia coverage of Supreme Court decisions Richard L. Vining, Jr and Phil Marcin; 6. Constructing Harry Blackmun Eric N. Waltenberg and Rorie Spill Solberg; 7. On and off the Supreme Court beat: differences in newspaper coverage of the Supreme Court and the implications for public support Nicholas LaRowe and Valerie Hoekstra; 8. The placement of conflict: the Supreme Court and issue attention in the national media Joseph Daniel Ura; 9. How traditional journalists cover the court in the new media age David G. Savage; 10. The Supreme Court and new media Dahlia Lithwick; 11. What the justices think of the press Laura Moyer and Matt Thornton; 12. Justice Brennan and the press Seth Stern; 13. Justice John Paul Stevens and the press: extra! Extra! Read all about it! Bill Barnhart.

Richard Davis is a Professor of Political Science and Director of the Office of Civic Engagement at Brigham Young University, Utah. He holds a PhD in Political Science from Syracuse University, New York. He is the author of several books on the role of the media in American politics, and is past chair of the political communication section of the American Political Science Association.