Removing Justitia’s blindfold: the mediatization of law in Israel

Abstract

This article analyzes the process of mediatization in the legal sphere in Israel. It maps the reciprocal relations between legal professionals and journalists in Israel, and examines the impact of the changes that have occurred in the media on the press coverage of the courts, on legal decision-making and on the legal process. Interviews with judges, lawyers and journalists reveal that, despite evidence of the mediatization of the legal sphere, a number of factors serve to contain this process. We suggest the concept of “judinalism” to describe the changed arena of interaction in which there are contradictory processes of acceleration and moderation of the impact of the media on the legal realm in Israeli society.