Last Word Media Coverage of the Supreme Court of Canada.

The Last Word examines the relationship between two of the most important institutions in Canadian life: the Supreme Court of Canada and the Canadian news media This relationship is crucial not only for the court and for journalists, but also for the public, who understand the work of the court through the media. The authors examine a year of media coverage centred around four very high profile cases: the Marshall case, about Aboriginal rights; the Vriend case, regarding gay rights; the Quebec Secession Reference; and the Sharpe child pornography case. Analyzing nearly fifteen hundred newspaper and TV reports, and interviewing judgas, journalists, and executive legal officers, Sauvageau, Schneiderman, and Taras provide a rich and detailed account of the relationship between the court and the media in presenting these decisions to the Canadian public. The authors examine the differences between television and newspaper coverage, national and regional reporting, and the French- and English-language media. They also describe how judges and journalists understand and interact with each other amidst often clashing legal and journalistic cultures. The Last Word argues that journalists often have the final say in explaining the court's actions and judgments to the public. While judges have incontested power over legal interpretation, journalists control how the message reaches the Canadian people.Sauvageau, Florian is the author of 'Last Word Media Coverage of the Supreme Court of Canada.', published 2006 under ISBN 9780774812443 and ISBN 0774812443.