Overview

America is a nation obsessed with crime and the law. We are devoted viewers of Law and Order and CSI. When we slip and fall in the grocery store, we sue. When we cannot agree on what society should value, we turn to the courts to solve our moral conundrums. The law has permeated American life so thoroughly that knowledge of the courts and legal principles is essential for all reporters, whether they want to cover sports, business, entertainment, or politics. With a specific, thorough, and practical approach, this text is an engaging and accessible introduction to the American court system, its players, language, and impact on the public. Written by a veteran court reporter, the book provides students with the necessary skills and knowledge for covering this beat, including: • How to cover the courts and the law accurately, fairly, and with healthy skepticism; • How to find stories in the courts and how to read legal documents and make sense of them; • A discussion of the advances in technology that are changing the way stories are reported and delivered, as well as how to access electronic information maintained by the courts; • Concrete examples, provided throughout the text, of what it is like to cover courts. A valuable resource, Covering America’s Courts provides students, bloggers, and citizen journalists with the foundation they need to walk into a courthouse anywhere in the country and report fairly, clearly, and ethically about criminal and civil cases.

Full Product Details

9781433114496

Table of Contents

Reviews

"""If a textbook could teach how to report then Toni Locy would write it. Her career both in the newsroom and classroom has taught her how to nail a story on deadline - whether from a trusted source or a document hidden in a government agency. Getting it first and getting it right has been her hallmark as a reporter, and if those gifts can be taught, it's in this book."" (Stephen Kurkjian, a three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and editor of the 'Boston Globe's' Spotlight team) ""Toni Locy is one of the nation's most gifted, tenacious court reporters. Her ability to track down records, persuade court clerks to release information, cultivate sources, and make a very complicated justice system comprehensible to the public is unrivaled. Her textbook will prepare young journalists to follow in her footsteps. It has a logical format, explains court procedures in plain English, and uses fascinating examples from her own career to illustrate various reporting principles. It will become THE textbook for journalism teachers looking for a way to teach students to cover our complicated justice system."" (Lucy Dalglish, dean of the University of Maryland's, Philip Merrill College of Journalism) ""In an era of deep uncertainty about the changing nature of journalism, Toni Locy - widely admired at the top of the profession for so long - provides a critical contribution as to what values need to endure and should be taught to all journalism students. Along with this, the book is a thorough run-through of the practicalities of the craft from an honorable and experienced practitioner."" (Neil Lewis, a former senior correspondent for 'The New York Times') ""It is rare to encounter a book that appears to be a nearly flawless fit for teaching a particular class. [...] Toni Locy's new textbook, however, comes as close as possible to being the perfect text for a course on legal reporting. [...] As she writes, 'courthouses are goldmines, storing nuggets of information for reporters to unearth as they research people and companies' (p. 71). Locy's book is the map students need to help them find that gold."" (Derigan Silver, Journalism & Mass Communication Educator 69, 2014/1)"

If a textbook could teach how to report then Toni Locy would write it. Her career both in the newsroom and classroom has taught her how to nail a story on deadline - whether from a trusted source or a document hidden in a government agency. Getting it first and getting it right has been her hallmark as a reporter, and if those gifts can be taught, it's in this book. (Stephen Kurkjian ,a three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and editor of the 'Boston Globe's' Spotlight team) Toni Locy is one of the nation's most gifted, tenacious court reporters. Her ability to track down records, persuade court clerks to release information, cultivate sources, and make a very complicated justice system comprehensible to the public is unrivaled. Her textbook will prepare young journalists to follow in her footsteps. It has a logical format, explains court procedures in plain English, and uses fascinating examples from her own career to illustrate various reporting principles. It will become THE textbook for journalism teachers looking for a way to teach students to cover our complicated justice system. (Lucy Dalglish, dean of the University of Maryland's, Philip Merrill College of Journalism) In an era of deep uncertainty about the changing nature of journalism, Toni Locy - widely admired at the top of the profession for so long - provides a critical contribution as to what values need to endure and should be taught to all journalism students. Along with this, the book is a thorough run-through of the practicalities of the craft from an honorable and experienced practitioner. (Neil Lewis, a former senior correspondent for 'The New York Times') It is rare to encounter a book that appears to be a nearly flawless fit for teaching a particular class. [...] Toni Locy's new textbook, however, comes as close as possible to being the perfect text for a course on legal reporting. [...] As she writes, 'courthouses are goldmines, storing nuggets of information for reporters to unearth as they research people and companies' (p. 71). Locy's book is the map students need to help them find that gold. (Derigan Silver, Journalism & Mass Communication Educator 69, 2014/1) If a textbook could teach how to report then Toni Locy would write it. Her career both in the newsroom and classroom has taught her how to nail a story on deadline - whether from a trusted source or a document hidden in a government agency. Getting it first and getting it right has been her hallmark as a reporter, and if those gifts can be taught, it's in this book. (Stephen Kurkjian, a three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and editor of the 'Boston Globe's' Spotlight team) Toni Locy is one of the nation's most gifted, tenacious court reporters. Her ability to track down records, persuade court clerks to release information, cultivate sources, and make a very complicated justice system comprehensible to the public is unrivaled. Her textbook will prepare young journalists to follow in her footsteps. It has a logical format, explains court procedures in plain English, and uses fascinating examples from her own career to illustrate various reporting principles. It will become THE textbook for journalism teachers looking for a way to teach students to cover our complicated justice system. (Lucy Dalglish, dean of the University of Maryland's, Philip Merrill College of Journalism) In an era of deep uncertainty about the changing nature of journalism, Toni Locy - widely admired at the top of the profession for so long - provides a critical contribution as to what values need to endure and should be taught to all journalism students. Along with this, the book is a thorough run-through of the practicalities of the craft from an honorable and experienced practitioner. (Neil Lewis, a former senior correspondent for 'The New York Times') It is rare to encounter a book that appears to be a nearly flawless fit for teaching a particular class. [...] Toni Locy's new textbook, however, comes as close as possible to being the perfect text for a course on legal reporting. [...] As she writes, 'courthouses are goldmines, storing nuggets of information for reporters to unearth as they research people and companies' (p. 71). Locy's book is the map students need to help them find that gold. (Derigan Silver, Journalism & Mass Communication Educator 69, 2014/1)

If a textbook could teach how to report then Toni Locy would write it. Her career both in the newsroom and classroom has taught her how to nail a story on deadline - whether from a trusted source or a document hidden in a government agency. Getting it first and getting it right has been her hallmark as a reporter, and if those gifts can be taught, it's in this book. (Stephen Kurkjian, a three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and editor of the 'Boston Globe's' Spotlight team) Toni Locy is one of the nation's most gifted, tenacious court reporters. Her ability to track down records, persuade court clerks to release information, cultivate sources, and make a very complicated justice system comprehensible to the public is unrivaled. Her textbook will prepare young journalists to follow in her footsteps. It has a logical format, explains court procedures in plain English, and uses fascinating examples from her own career to illustrate various reporting principles. It will become THE textbook for journalism teachers looking for a way to teach students to cover our complicated justice system. (Lucy Dalglish, dean of the University of Maryland's, Philip Merrill College of Journalism) In an era of deep uncertainty about the changing nature of journalism, Toni Locy - widely admired at the top of the profession for so long - provides a critical contribution as to what values need to endure and should be taught to all journalism students. Along with this, the book is a thorough run-through of the practicalities of the craft from an honorable and experienced practitioner. (Neil Lewis, a former senior correspondent for 'The New York Times')

If a textbook could teach how to report then Toni Locy would write it. Her career both in the newsroom and classroom has taught her how to nail a story on deadline - whether from a trusted source or a document hidden in a government agency. Getting it first and getting it right has been her hallmark as a reporter, and if those gifts can be taught, it's in this book. (Stephen Kurkjian, a three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and editor of the 'Boston Globe's' Spotlight team) Toni Locy is one of the nation's most gifted, tenacious court reporters. Her ability to track down records, persuade court clerks to release information, cultivate sources, and make a very complicated justice system comprehensible to the public is unrivaled. Her textbook will prepare young journalists to follow in her footsteps. It has a logical format, explains court procedures in plain English, and uses fascinating examples from her own career to illustrate various reporting principles. It will become THE textbook for journalism teachers looking for a way to teach students to cover our complicated justice system. (Lucy Dalglish, dean of the University of Maryland's, Philip Merrill College of Journalism) In an era of deep uncertainty about the changing nature of journalism, Toni Locy - widely admired at the top of the profession for so long - provides a critical contribution as to what values need to endure and should be taught to all journalism students. Along with this, the book is a thorough run-through of the practicalities of the craft from an honorable and experienced practitioner. (Neil Lewis, a former senior correspondent for 'The New York Times') It is rare to encounter a book that appears to be a nearly flawless fit for teaching a particular class. [...] Toni Locy's new textbook, however, comes as close as possible to being the perfect text for a course on legal reporting. [...] As she writes, 'courthouses are goldmines, storing nuggets of information for reporters to unearth as they research people and companies' (p. 71). Locy's book is the map students need to help them find that gold. (John L. Sullivan, Journalism & Mass Communication Educator 69, 2014/1

Author Information

Toni Locy is the Donald W. Reynolds Professor of Legal Reporting at Washington and Lee University. She is uniquely qualified to write this text, having spent 25 years as a journalist covering courts for some of the nation’s biggest and best news organizations, including the Washington Post, Boston Globe, USA Today, and the Associated Press. During this time, she covered the 9/11 attacks, was one of three reporters to break the first published story about the independent counsel’s investigation into President Bill Clinton’s relationship with Monica Lewinsky, and was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for a four-part series that she reported and wrote about the Boston Police Department’s inability to solve serious crimes.

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