EMMA MAPLE

Class of 2024. Communication Studies and Political Science Major. 

The Case of the Missing Context: Newspaper coverage of the Supreme Court’s decisions in Masterpiece Cakeshop and 303 Creative

This research analyzed 49 articles from five major U.S. newspapers discussing the Supreme Court decisions in Masterpiece Cakeshop and 303 Creative. Researchers found three broad areas of concern: misleading ledes, unclear presentation of legal questions and a reliance on quotes without context. When comparing coverage of these two cases, researchers found differences in sourcing and descriptions of the impact the decisions. These findings suggest opportunities for misinformation and misunderstanding of the decisions and their impact.