Estimating liability risks with the media as your guide: A content analysis of media coverage of tort litigation

被引：50

作者：

Bailis, DS

MacCoun, RJ

机构：

[1] PRINCETON UNIV,DEPT PSYCHOL,PRINCETON,NJ 08544

[2] UNIV CALIF BERKELEY,GRAD SCH PUBL POLICY,BERKELEY,CA 94720

来源：

LAW AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR | 1996年 / 20卷 / 04期

关键词：

D O I：

10.1007/BF01498978

中图分类号：

D9 [法律]; DF [法律];

学科分类号：

0301 ;

摘要：

A content analysis of 249 articles from Time, Newsweek, Fortune, Forbes, and Business Week during 1980-1990 examined the representativeness of popular media coverage of fort litigation. Compared to objective data on fort cases, the magazine articles considerably overrepresented the relative frequency of controversial forms of litigation (product liability and medical malpractice), the proportion of disputes resolved by trial (rather than settlement), the plaintiff victory rate at trial, and the median and mean jury awards. Psychological mechanisms by which biases in media coverage could affect the decision making of potential litigants are discussed. The results highlight the need for more systematic monitoring and dissemination of reliable data on fort outcomes.

引用

页码：419 / 429

页数：11

共 29 条

[1]

[Anonymous], 1991, COMPENSATION ACCIDEN

[2]

COOTER RD, 1989, J ECON LIT, V27, P1067

[3] THE QUESTION OF JURY COMPETENCE AND THE POLITICS OF CIVIL JUSTICE REFORM - SYMBOLS, RHETORIC, AND AGENDA-BUILDING [J].