|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
.
|
|
|
|
|
About the Book
Media coverage of the Supreme Court of Canada has emerged as a crucial factor not only for judges and journalists but also for the public. It’s the media, after all, that decide which court rulings to cover and how. They translate highly complex judgments into concise and meaningful news stories that will appeal to, and be understood by, the general public. Thus, judges lose control of the message once they hand down decisions, and journalists have the last word.
To show how the Supreme Court has fared under the media spotlight, Sauvageau, Schneiderman, and Taras examine a year in the life of the court and then focus on the media coverage of four high-profile decisions: the Marshall case, about Aboriginal rights; the Vriend case, about gay rights; the Quebec Secession Reference; and the Sharpe child pornography case. They explore the differences between television and newspaper coverage, national and regional reporting, and the French- and English-language media. They also describe how judges and journalists understand and interact with one another amid often-clashing legal and journalistic cultures, offering a rich and detailed account of the relationship between two of the most important institutions in Canadian life.
About the Author(s)
Florian Sauvageau is Professor of Communications at Université Laval in Québec and Director of the Centre d’études sur les médias/Centre for Media Studies.
David Schneiderman is Associate Professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto. David Taras is University Professor and Professor in the Faculty of Communication and Culture at the University of Calgary.
Table of Contents
Contents
Acknowledments / vi
Judgment Day: A Vignette / 1
Introduction: The Supreme Court Under the Media Lens / 8
1 A Year in the Life of the Supreme Court / 36
2 Equal in Alberta: The Vriend Case / 71
3 Court and Spin Country: The Quebec Secession Reference / 91
4 "Sea of Confusion": R. v. Marshall / 137
5 "Parents Can Sleep Soundly": The Queen v. John Robin Sharpe / 171
6 Judges and Journalists / 197
Conclusion: Reporting the Supreme Court through a Political Prism / 227
Appendix A: Interview Questions / 238
Appendix B: Method of Analysis -- Coding Instructions and Sample Code Sheet / 240
About the Authors / 251
Index / 253
Reviews
The Last Word makes a very important contribution to knowledge in an almost non-existent field: I know of no other book published in Canada on this subject in either English or French. It should contribute to the very lively debate about the court, not only in the legal and media milieu, but in the general public as well.
—Andrée Lajoie, Faculty of Law, Université de Montréal
This is definitely the last word in how the message of a Supreme Court decision is translated and conveyed to its broader publics; it explains the media to the court-watchers, and the Supreme Court to the media-watchers, in a readable, profound, and thoughtful way. Absolutely a must-read.
—Peter McCormick, Political Science, University of Lethbridge
The writing is careful and elegant, yet pointed and piercing. [The Last Word] takes into account the pressures of the news business, but refuses to let them become a convenient excuse for complacent or facile journalism…[Sauvageau, Schneiderman and Taras] have produced a book that is thought-provoking, authoritative, impeccably researched and grounded in reality.
—Kirk Makin, Literary Review of Canada, Vol. 14, No. 3, April 2006
The Last Word provides an intriguing examination of the role the media plays in delivering the decisions of the Supreme Court to Canadians across the country. This book is an excellent choice for almost anyone, but especially those persons with an interest in the connection between the law and the media.
—Erin Lalonde, Saskatchewan Law Review 2007, Vol. 70
The qualitative content analysis in the book is impressive, well done and clearly and systematically adhered to. There is no doubt that this was a significant research project that yielded a fascinating and worthwhile scholarly study. [The authors] used a highly readable approach to present their findings [and The Last Word] provides an extremely useful and interesting picture of two of the most important democratic institutions of the country. All in all, this is an imporatnt, thoughtful, well-researched book.
—Nicole LaViolette, The Ottawa Law Review, Vol. 38, No. 2, 2006-2007
The Last Word, by Florian Sauvageau, David Schneiderman and David Taras, is a revelation, a documentary and a contextualization of four controversial Supreme Court of Canada judgments: VRIEND (1998), the QUÉBEC SECESSION REFERENCE (1998), MARSHALL (1999), and SHARPE (2001).
It offers a commendable beginning for studies of the two-way street between courts and legislatures, and for the politics mediated by reporters, news-readers and editors.
- DeLloyd J. Guth, Law & Politics Book Review, January 2008
Rather than a strictly legal work, the book is written from a legally-informed social sciences perspective. Eschewing the deferential tone favoured by some legal commentators, the authors deal critically with both the media and the court. ... Their methodology is both quantitative and qualitative - they consider frequency and manner of coverage. Relevant social science literature provides context, but the focus of the analysis lies in newspaper and televised news reporting. ... The Last Word speaks to the need for more and better reporting of the Supreme Court and its judgments. It is a fascinating read, sound in its research and unrelenting n its conclusions.
- Michael James, Appeal Law Journal, Vol. 13, 2008
Sample Chapter
Sample Chapter
Related Topics
Film & Media Studies
Law
Other Ways To Order
In Canada, order your copy of Last Word from UTP Distribution at:
UTP Distribution
5201 Dufferin Street
Toronto, Ontario
M3H 5T8
Phone orders: 1(800)565-9523 or (416)667-7791
Fax orders: 1(800)221-9985 or (416)667-7832
Email: utpbooks@utpress.utoronto.ca
Ordering information for customers outside Canada
|
|
|
|
 |
|
