The Watchful Eye: American Justice in the Age of the Television Trial
(Hardback)
Available Formats
Publishing Details
The Watchful Eye: American Justice in the Age of the Television Trial
By (Author) Paul Thaler
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Praeger Publishers Inc
30th January 1994
United States
Classifications
Tertiary Education
Non Fiction
Private or civil law: general
Television
Ethics and moral philosophy
Communication studies
347.3071
Physical Properties
Hardback
264
Description
According to Thaler, the presence of cameras in the courtroom is a pervasive technology that can affect public perceptions of the judicial process, change the behavior and attitudes of trial participants, and ultimately transform the sober process of justice into a media event designed for maximum public exposure. The author has interviewed more than 50 people--prominent journalists, academics, and members of the legal system--and brought together their observations in a fascinating historical and psychological profile of the televised courtroom. Thaler provides a historical overview and theoretical perspective, and discusses the new cable courtroom network and the current and continuing camera debate in New York City. He makes reference to the recent celebrated cases involving Amy Fisher, William Kennedy Smith, and Rodney King, then turns to an in-depth case study of the Joel Steinberg murder trial, including insights from the presiding judge, trial attorneys, witnesses, jurors, and the defendant himself, as well as journalists who covered the trial. The author concludes that the process of justice is slowly being turned into an entertainment vehicle, not unlike the show trials of bygone eras.
Reviews
Rating: Excellent: Well researched and documented. Recommended-The Reader's Review
The Watchful Eye successfully sheds light on a subject that is not given to neat resolutions.-Trial
"Rating: Excellent: Well researched and documented. Recommended"-The Reader's Review
"The Watchful Eye successfully sheds light on a subject that is not given to neat resolutions."-Trial
Author Bio
PAUL THALER is the Director of Journalism and Media at Mercy College in New York, a post he has held since 1982. He was a Fulbright Senior Lecturer in Journalism at the University of Bucharest in 1993. The Watchful Eye is the culmination of five years of research into the media and the criminal justice system. He has been interviewed on Court TV as well as ABC's Nightline with Ted Koppel.
