The Power of the Press: Roe overturn leak from a journalistic standpoint
When a journalistic publication gains possession of a potential story, they often find themselves at a crossroads. The running of a controversial story generates attention to their name, but has the ability to stir up conflict with certain parties involved. More often than not, newspapers land on the decision in favor of releasing that debated story, vocalizing the unforeseen pieces of information, in order to help their publication grow. The world-renowned news site, Politico certainly selected this path for their course of action when they released the shocking news of the leakage of the statement indicating a possible overturn of the 1973 landmark Supreme Court case, Roe v. Wade.
In past cases, sticking with a story and watching the events that follow unfold have shown promise. The landmark case of New York Times vs. US was a battle between the press and the government, and the renowned publication came out on top in the end. The New York Times uncovered the “Pentagon Papers” which exposed unforeseen United States motives during the Vietnam War. Despite the federal government’s efforts to prohibit these documents from being released to the public, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of The Times, establishing the unconstitutionality of prior restraint.
Prior restraint embodies the idea that information, no matter how potentially damaging, cannot be limited for publication due to the respective press organization’s first amendment rights. Politico’s release of the Roe v. Wade overturn statement leak evidently casted the Supreme Court in a negative light. However, although the nine members are some of the most powerful individuals within our nation, the exposure of their doubts about this abortion case ruling was free for Politico to take and run with. This situation revealed the true potency of the press and the impact it continues to have on society every day.
Politico’s release additionally sparked the inception of a new kickstart in conversation about the way each state will handle the potential Roe overturn. If they had not shared the Supreme Court draft with the world, citizens, along with state government officials, would be unaware that the elements of Roe V. Wade was even being questioned in the first place. The people of the United States being provided with this inadvertent heads up gave officials time to consider the options for how they would proceed if the overturn was to be enacted.
Governor of Texas Greg Abbott signed a bill initiating the outlaw of all abortions in the circumstance that Roe v. Wade is indeed overturned. Even though Abbott’s anti-abortion motives were evident from the get-go, Texas civilians are now aware of the extent to which abortion will be outlawed. On the other end of the spectrum, governor of New Jersey Phil Murphy deemed the day of the leakage on Twitter as a “truly dark day in America,” and he reassured civilans that a safe abortion will always be available within NJ borders.
The leakage of justice Alito’s draft solidified the prominent role that journalistic publications play among the public eye, and the ripple effect that comes with running the risk of eliciting controversy, which Politico successfully took.