Social Sciences in China

Vol. 38, No. 3, 2017

Judicial Credibility in the We-media Era: Rationality, Constituent

Elements and Construction

(Abstract)

Hu Ming

We-media’s influence on judicial credibility has become increasingly apparent in the changing modes of information communication. Interpretation of a sample of influential lawsuits in the light of reason will reveal the core elements shaping the public’s judgements on criminal cases, including both internal elements centering on trust, reputation and interaction and external elements centering on transaction costs. Our quantitative assessment of the role of trust, reputation and interaction in the public’s views on criminal justice plus a comparison of the differences between their understanding and that of grassroots legal officials reflect the fact that underlying these rational choices is the clouding of judicial credibility due to contravention of the rules of justice. If we are to build judicial credibility, it is essential that we establish a sound relationship between the public and the criminal justice system, a relationship based on upholding the idea of rule of law and respecting the rules of justice.

Keywords: we-media, judicial credibility, rational choice