Book Review: Covering the United States Supreme Court in the Digital Age, by Richard Davis, ed

Abstract

Covering the United States Supreme Court in the Digital Age. Richard Davis, ed. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2014. 269 pp. $99 hbk. $79 ebk.At a time when the president is able to live broadcast an enhanced version of the State of the Union address to a streaming web address and all watchers are able to live-tweet their responses directly to the executive branch or their representative, there is no doubt that the government has embraced both the mass media and digital technology. Reporters are embedded in the White House and have access to members of Congress-along with having constant Internet access and the ability to send a story to the national audience within seconds of the event occurring. Indeed, there is much research regarding agenda setting and framing as ideas move from the executive and legislative elites to the press corps to the public and back up the chain.In a marked contrast to these behaviors, the third branch of government, the Supreme Court, still maintains a wary and watchful eye on the news media. Due to this strained relationship, there is relatively little research in the ways that the judges interact with the news media on a consistent basis. Edited by Richard Davis out of Brigham Young University, this volume is one step in reducing this gap in the literature. In 18 chapters, he compiles the recent research on the ways the news media interacts with the Supreme Court and how the justices have, in turn, controlled, responded, and used the press coverage to their advantage.Studying press coverage of the Supreme Court is necessarily complex and requires a multifaceted approach to give the relationship justice. Davis achieves that balance by choosing works that are broad and varied enough to touch on the ways the press and the Court influence each other and the public. The chapters, extending from firsthand accounts regarding difficulties the press face when covering the Court to detailed quantitative analyses of framing effects and public support, paint a comprehensive picture of the state of the research at this moment. The book aims to analyze all aspects of this relationship from the ways the Court uses the press, to the impact of the media on public opinion, in a way that appeals to all types of readers. As such, the chapters can be broken down into five general themes: the historical relationship, the nature and type of press coverage, the role of the media in the Court, the view from the pressroom, and the view from the Court. This ensures that many avenues of research are represented.The strength of this book lies in the sheer breadth of themes addressed by the contributing authors in studying the relationship between the Supreme Court and the media. …