Richard Fox, assistant professor of political science, is co-author (with Robert Van Sickel of Purdue
University) of the just-published book Tabloid Justice: Criminal Justice in an Age of Media Frenzy
(Lynne Rienner).
The book explores the ways that the media have covered high-profile cases throughout the 1990s and assesses
the impact of that coverage on public attitudes toward the U.S. justice system.
Focusing on cases such as Rodney King and O.J. Simpson, Fox and his colleague find that the media's attention
to high-profile trials has highlighted — and at times aggravated — many of the deepest social divisions in
society: race, gender, ethnicity and social class. They also show that a distorted presentation of the justice
system has reduced the legitimacy and authority of the law in the eyes of the public.
“It is difficult to imagine how we can move toward a relationship between the public and the mass media that is
characterized by truly serious news reporting and thoughtful analysis by citizens,” the authors write. “In the
meantime, we will likely just collectively sit back and await the next 'trial of the century.'”