A unique reference work exploring the interaction of ever more pervasive media and the U.S. judicial system in the 20th century. At a time when two-thirds of local news is crime- or court-related, when Court TV broadcasts daily, and when one lurid case can push all other news aside, Media and American Courts: A Reference Handbook offers a much-needed examination of how the press and the judicial system interact. Despite the benefits (a better-informed public, judicial accountability), has expanded coverage of the courts in fact weakened our democracy? Media and American Courts approaches this question by exploring the cases, the personalities, and the controversies that have redefined the court/press relationship in the past century as the media expanded from print and radio to courtroom cameras, cable, and the World Wide Web. It also includes suggestions from legal and media experts for making court news more accurate, informative, and useful. Glossary definitions written in clear, layman's language describing the terms necessary for a full understanding of media coverage of the judicial system Biographical sketches of prominent courtroom journalists, lawyers, and judges such as F. Lee Bailey, Marcia Clark, and Johnny Cochran

In 2012-2013, one of the United States largest newspaper chains, Advance Publications, determined its main product was no longer newspapers but news, and switched from daily print publication of The Times-Picayune of New Orleans to three days a week, while upgrading its presence online ( Digital First ). More than 200 employees, including half the newsroom, were laid off in one of the poorest U.S. cities with among the lowest literacy rates and percentages of households with Internet access. The decision raised a furor in New Orleans. Alfred Lawrence Lorenz presents an historical overview of The Times-Picayune, from its 1837 founding through the present; Frank Durham describes the crucial role the dailies played in the 1960 school desegregation crisis; S.L. Alexander studies the impact of the switch on print coverage of hard news in the context of media developments, with the advent of The New Orleans Advocate resulting in a modern-day news war; Vicki Mayer presents a content analysis of specific print editions of The Times-Picayune and its digital formats conducted before and after the switch and its possible effects on quantity and quality of news coverage. As suggested by C.W. Anderson in the Introduction, this book is instructive for all concerned with what the transformation might portend for the news profession and for the traditional role of the press in the digital age."