Judge Judy

OK... How many of us just simply don't love Judge Judy?? I'm pretty sure we can all agree that she is one tough cookie, who always has her way. Although I don't follow her reality court cases religiously, I've seen enough shows to know that she ties in with our readings for today. Although this form of media may not be exactly following the layout presented by the Lambiase article, I believe it can reflect a lot of its qualities.
Judge Judy is a 30-minute show that presents domestic cases. Ech of these cases, however, could be represented the same way a typical newspaper article is formatted. At the beginning of each airing, the Plaintiff and the Defendant are both presented in clear light, usually both make it seem as if they were innocent. But as the short trial progresses, Judge Judy uncovers newer and newer aspects to the case, that put both sides of the argument in more negative lights (similarly to the way that the murder of Freelove and Golchert was presented in the papers).
But at the same time, Judge Judy is a show that can express certain qualities of the typical crime/justice news media. As described by the Surette's article, Judge Judy can be classified as the "Media Trial." This is "a regional or national news event in which the media co-opt the criminal justice system as a source of high drama and entertainment" (68). I believe that Judge Judy can be thus described as >a regional event in which the media co-opt the criminal justice system as a source of high drama<. Although Judge Judy is a real judge, who solves real domestic cases, she is also an entertainer who allows to put herself on a TV display, where she is capable to reaching a vast audience in the privacy of their homes. She is definitely a part of the judicial system, and with the help of the media, almost everybody has an access to her. And although real cases are solved by Judge Judy on her show, as Surette point out (76), this judicial system of media is mainly meant for the entertainment of the viewing mass audience.