""The Reporter and the Law"" is an insider's view of how the legal system and the press work together. Denniston starts from the premise that the law is the public's business, demonstrating how journalists understand and convey the law to society at large.;The first part of the book explains the legal system, describing how a legal reporter can cultivate sources, and defining how a reporter can be productive within the legal system. The remainder of the book is a detailed ""how to"" manual. Journalists are given a detailed description of how they should cover a trial, and each structural element of the pretrial, trial, and appellate procedure is analyzed for its news potential.