Does The Press Effect The Outcome Of Justice

Grade Level: Grade 7-12, college - Although the information provided in this lesson plan is appropriate for students from 7th-12th grade, only students over 17, or those with their parents permission, should watch Chicago. This film contains mature content and is rated R.

Subject: Social Studies, Law, Communication Arts

Keywords: Press, law, justice and the press, constitutional issues, pretrial publicity, Chicago the movie, Chicago, OJ Simpson, Judge Judy, teaching law, teaching current events, Court TV, teaching with film, movies in the classroom, ClassBrain

Author: Cynthia Kirkeby

Affiliation: ClassBrain, Inc.

Date: 19 March, 2003

Duration: 1-2 class periods

Film: Chicago

MPAA Rating: R

Background:
In Chicago, the movie, the women about to go on trial enlist the assistance of a lawyer that is great with publicity. He uses the power of the press to gain sympathy for the women before they go on trial. The publicity changes the outcome of the trials.

Objective:
Watch Chicago, the movie or the play. Discuss the way the press and TV effect the way that we view current legal cases. Possible topics: Court TV, Judge Judy, The O.J. Simpson trial.

Project 1:
Choose a current trial in the news and have the students follow the publicity that shows up in the newspapers and on TV. How is the press slanting the presentation of information to make the suspects look guilty or innocent? Have the students keep journals with clippings from the newspaper and the Internet, and notes about what they see on TV. Have the students predict which way the trial will end based on the publicity that they record.

Project 2:
Review the O.J. Simpson case, and all of the publicity that surrounded the case. Break the students into groups and have them create a project that outlines how publicity effected the outcome of the trial. The project can be a multimedia project, an essay, or a web quest.

Learning Links

Exploring Constitutional Issues
The issue: What limitations does the First Amendment place on gag orders and other approaches taken by judges to protect the fair trial rights of defendants?
Source: Doug Linder, Professor of Law University of Missouri - Kansas City Law School.

The Effects of Pretrial Publicity on Judges, Jurors and Arbitrators
Read about how pretrial publicity can sway the results of a trial and what steps can be taken to minimize these effects.
Source: Dr. Richard Waites - The Advocates.com

Web poses 'biggest threat of contempt'
Not only newspapers and television are blemed for unfair trials, the Internet is now claimed to be one of the largest threats.
Source: PA Mediapoint

Guns, Gin and Jazz: The Real Stories Behind 'Chicago'
Take a look at what Court TV has to say about the true story of "Roxie," and crime as entertainment.
Source: Court TV

Court TV
This companion to the television channel highlights current trials, “stupid crimes,” and a crime library.
Source: Courtroom Television Network

CNN’s O.J. Simpson Page
This special section from CNN’s website outlines the verdict, suspect, victims, the arrest, the evidence, the trial, and more.
Source: CNN

Judge Judy
The official Judge Judy web page. Contains one sentence summaries of her cases, day by day.
Source: Paramount