The Shrinking Trial: Contrasting Newspaper Coverage of Trials Today Against Thirty-Four years Ago

This study is a qualitative content analysis of 562 news items culled from a Midwest metro daily newspaper and a Midwest local daily newspaper in the early months of 1980 and 2014. It examined newspaper coverage relating to trials, both civil and criminal, jury and bench, state and federal. Overall, there is less coverage in 2014 than there was in 1980, specifically with regard to jury trials. However, papers generally gave better play to trial articles in 2014, and relied more on staff than wire services for coverage, indicating that newspapers continue to see the value in covering trials. Continuation in that direction could provide readers with a more complete portrait of the judicial system.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Kansas

Year dc:date.issued

2014

Author dc:creator

• Moriarty, Matthew Philip

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Volek, Thomas W

• Journalism
• Law
• ADR
• Coverage
• Jury
• Newspaper
• Trial

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright held by the author.

Language dc:language.iso

en

Dc Identifier Other

http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:13740

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/37510