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Friday, November 11

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the legal system towards the (perceived) media logic. Consequently, we argue that LPR can be regarded as a measure to adapt to the media logic and thus,

as a facet of the mediatization of the legal system. In this paper, we integrate LPR into a multidimensional model of the mediatization of judiciary. Doing

this, we promote the idea not only to investigate LPR strategies but also to look at presumed media influences and legal actors' assessments of the func‑

tioning of legal reporting as basic prerequisites for media-related actions. Only if legal actors ascribe media any influence on the outcomes of trials or

public assessments of the judiciary, they will take respective media-related measures. What is more, the design of these measures is crucially shaped by

the legal actors' perceptions of the functioning of mass media. We address these aspects empirically by surveying what influence German lawyers ascribe

to the media, how they assess German legal reporting and to what extent they engage in measures of LPR. We investigate the lawyers' assessment and

usage of traditional media outlets as well as their assessment and usage of social media. In December 2014, 893 German lawyers located in the federal

state of North Rhine-Westphalia were invited to participate in an online survey dealing with their professional assessments of the media. Additionally, we

asked the heads of North Rhine-Westphalian bar associations (Rechtsanwaltskammern) to send the link to our online survey via e-mail to the members

of the respective association. The survey took place between December 22, 2014, and January 22, 2015. Overall, 226 lawyers participated. Results indicate

that lawyers presume legal reporting to result in a prejudgment of the accused person. Thus, they strive to gain media presence in order to influence

the coverage of legal proceedings. Therefore, they take media-related measures. Yet, results indicate that PR efforts still play a minor role in the everyday

work of lawyers. Strikingly, lawyers' media-related strategies are directed towards traditional media outlets. Although younger lawyers maintain social

media accounts for professional purposes, they do not use them to influence public opinion about a legal case but rather to provide general information

about their work and law firm.