Covering the Court: Does the News Media Accurately Report Supreme Court Docketing Decisions?

• In Event: Fault Lines in American Democracy

Abstract

Twenty-five years after Slotnick and Segal (1994) examined how television news reported docketing decisions at the United State Supreme Court (using data from 1989-1990), we reexamine this issue to determine if the accuracy of news reports improved since that time. Using an original database of news transcripts from 2014-2015, we assess whether evening and daytime news broadcasts accurately reported docketing decisions. The findings of this study will provide valuable information as to whether or not the news media accurately portrays the actions of the Supreme Court, which, in turn, has normative implications for the public's understanding of the federal judiciary.

Authors

• Erin Caroline Kraskewicz, University of Pennsylvania

• Kyle Kopko, Elizabethtown College