Muckraking: The Case of the United States Supreme Court

16 Pages Posted: 25 Oct 2014 Last revised: 30 Oct 2014

See all articles by Keith J. Bybee

Keith J. Bybee

Syracuse University - College of Law; Syracuse University - Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs

Date Written: August 13, 2014

Abstract

English Abstract: Within the tradition of U.S. journalism, "muckraking" refers to reform-oriented investigative reporting undertaken to provoke public outcry and to promote institutional change. Although the decline of newspapers has reduced the resources available for certain kinds of investigative reporting, muckraking is still a common practice, and it can be found today in the calls for greater transparency that have accompanied the rise of the internet and the spread of digital information. In this article, I first outline a contemporary technology-driven vision of openness and access that appears to be global. I then consider how this new form of muckraking affects the United States Supreme Court and judicial legitimacy in the United States.

Spanish Abstract: En la tradición periodística de Estados Unidos, la "prensa sensacionalista" se refiere al periodismo de investigación que busca provocar la protesta pública y promover el cambio institucional. El descenso de los periódicos ha reducido los recursos para el periodismo de investigación, pero la publicación de escándalos sigue siendo una práctica común, presente en los llamamientos actuales a una mayor transparencia que han venido de la mano del auge de Internet y la difusión de la información digital. Este artículo en primer lugar realiza una aproximación a la visión contemporánea de apertura y acceso que ha traído consigo la tecnología, y que parece ser global. A continuación analiza de qué forma esta forma de periodismo de investigación afecta a la Corte Suprema y la legitimidad judicial en los EE UU.

Keywords: Law, Political Science, Communications, Derecho, Ciencia Política, Comunicación, Transparency, Judicial Legitimacy, Investigative Journalism, Transparencia, legitimidad judicial, periodismo de investigación, United States, Estados Unidos

Suggested Citation

Bybee, Keith James, Muckraking: The Case of the United States Supreme Court (August 13, 2014). Oñati Socio-Legal Series, Vol. 4, No. 4, 2014, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2480169

Keith James Bybee (Contact Author)

Syracuse University - College of Law ( email )

321 Eggers Hall
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY 13244-1030
United States
315-443-9743 (Phone)

Syracuse University - Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs ( email )

400 Eggers Hall
Syracuse, NY 13244
United States

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