NCJ Number
131919
Editor(s)
R Hariman
Date Published
1990
Length
265 pages
Annotation
Seven trials that received extensive media coverage are examined in terms of their roles as persuasive events that influence public and political opinion and discourse about legal and social issues.
Abstract
The analysis focuses on the 17th century impeachment trial of Henry Sacheverell, an Anglican minister who was tried in the House of Commons in England in 1709-10 and on six trials conducted in the 20th century in the United States. These include the 1925 trial of Scopes for teaching evolution; the 1969-70 Chicago Seven trial that followed the riots at the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago; the trial of John W. Hinckley, Jr. for attempted assassination; the retrial of Claus von Bulow for the attempted murder of his wife; the trial of the Catonsville Nine for civil disobedience; and the trial of San Diego mayor Roger Hedgecock. The discussion defines popular trials as a genre of public communication. They are often characterized by special media presentations, intense audience identification with the main participants, and political and social consequences independent of the legal action. Thus, they serve a rhetorical function and persuade large public audiences. Tables, chapter notes, author biographies, index, and 258 references