Deck 8: Media Coverage of Congress and the Courts

Question 1

The only time Supreme Court justices typically receive substantial media coverage is during ______.

A) their first few days on the bench
B) their election campaigns
C) the hearings conducted before their appointment
D) during their book tours

Answer 1

C

Question 2

One's amount of policy work, or legislative effort, is a major determinant of Congress members' national news coverage.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Congress gets close to the same amount of coverage as the president, but only if you count coverage of individual legislators in addition to the institution.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

That Congress is a body of lawmakers makes it less appealing for coverage.

Question 5

Presidential coverage in national news is partly driven by the fact that the executive office is supposed to represent the entire country, while legislators serve individual districts or states.

Question 6

Even local newspapers and local television news ignore members of Congress.

Question 7

House members tend to get more coverage than senators.

Question 8

Most members of Congress avoid the use of social media like Facebook and Twitter.

Question 9

The relationship between members of Congress and the press is much friendlier and less interdependent and cautious than between the press and president.

Question 10

The courts tend to get far less press coverage but court coverage is typically of much higher quality.

Question 11

Judges and justices remain completely unaffected by media coverage and public opinion.

Question 12

What is a possible upside of receiving less coverage, as in the apparent case of the judiciary?

Question 13

How has the broader trend of declining resources of newsrooms impacted coverage of the courts?

Question 14

What is the CSI effect?

Question 15

What are the court-related factors that make covering the Supreme Court difficult for journalists? How do the constraints of journalism compound these difficulties?