Search by...
- Keyword
- Title
- Author
- Subject
- Publisher
Results should have...
- All of these words
- Any of these words
- This exact phrase
- None of these words
Keyword searches may also use the operators
AND, OR, NOT, “ ”, ( )
AND, OR, NOT, “ ”, ( )
News Media and the Law
Quarterly magazine on all aspects of media law covering cases, laws and other events that may affect the how journalists report and cover the news.
Articles from Vol. 35, No. 4, Fall
Academic Freedom and the Public's Right to Know
Read preview
University professors become subjects of open records requestsA recent series of open records requests for the email messages of public university professors has triggered a debate about the extent to which the right to academic freedom can coexist with...
A Scary Halloween
Read preview
On Halloween, I was having one of those days when I just wanted to plant my forehead on my keyboard.The previous week's headlines had included a mind-boggling number of examples of public officials behaving in not just a stupid way; but in an outrageously...
Asked & Answered
Read preview
In this column, the Reporters Committee attorneys discuss hot-topic questions related to recent issues in media law. Here are our answers.Q: Can I obtain the governor's calendar under my state's open record law?A: The answer varies from state to state,...
Federal Government Enters the Era of the "Cloud"
Read preview
When the government's record keeping methods change, will it rain on your next FOIA request?When the country's head archivist David Ferriero is asked about the most modern problems plaguing federal records management, he likes to explain by telling the...
More Reporters Tweeting from Courtroom
Read preview
High-profile trials can increase reporters' followers by thousandsThere are some readers who only know her as ©rummanahussain."I know people who don't read the newspaper," said Rummana Hussain, a reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times. "But they follow my...
"Open & Shut"
Read preview
A collection of notable quotations"One day I can perform Shostakovich. Congress does something. The next day I can't. Doesn't that present a serious First Amendment problem?"- Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. on whether Congress acted constitutionally...
Proposed Bill Calls for Stiffer Punishments for Violating Copyright Law Via Internet Streaming
Read preview
If passed, could YouTube uploaders like Justin Biebergo to jail?Imagine a federal statute that could put teen idol Justin Bieber in prison for entertaining millions of fans via the Internet.The proposed Commercial Felony Streaming Act would make some...
Proposed Federal Shield Law Resurfaces Again
Read preview
Fourth time a charm for the bill that can't seem to get through SenateTwo San Franäsco Chronicle investigative reporters made national news after breaking the steroids scandal involving Barry Bonds and other star athletes in 2004. The journalists were...
Reform Comes Slowly to Guantanamo Bay
Read preview
Pentagon touts new media access provisions, but will they be enough to change the culture of secrecy?When the arraignment of Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, the Saudi-born detainee accused of masterminding the deadly USS Cole bombing in 2000, goes forward at...
Reporters Harmed by Warrantless Wiretapping, Entitled to Challenge the Law
Read preview
A journalist's ability to interview sources about foreign and national security issues got a boost recendy when a federal appellate court found that the U.S. government's wiretapping of Americans' international communications without a warrant or adequate...
SPEECH Act Celebrates One Year Anniversary, as Its Influence Spreads Overseas
Read preview
British bill aims to shed country's "libel tourism capital" labelThe SPEECH Act saved author Udis Sanchez Lord from paying over $50,000 after losing a defamation lawsuit in Canada.A Missouri resident, Lord published "From Fieldhand to Ph.D., Ms. Asia...
Streaming and Licensing versus the First Amendment
Read preview
A look at Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association v. Gannett Co., Inc.In a recent case, a federal appeals court held that "nothing in the First Amendment confers on the media an affirmative right to broadcast entire performances," and enforced...
Supreme Court to Decide Constitutionality of Broadcast Indecency Rules in FCC V. Fox
Read preview
High-profile case could reshape regulation of the public airwavesA case that began with a musician's excited utterance upon winning a Golden Globe Award has the potential to drastically change how indecent programming specifically and the broadcast media...
Truth Doesn't Protect Minnesota Blogger from Defamation Suit, Judge Upholds Johnny Northside Verdict
Read preview
$60,000 judgment to be appealed by blogger who court found reported truthfullyWhen John Hoff mans his post on Guard Tower 6 at a U.S. military base in Afghanistan, he often wonders what went wrong.It's not a terrorist, a vehicle-born improvised explosive...
Uncivil Secrecy
Read preview
An increased prevalence in shielding civil court filings from public view prompts calls for a renewed opennessGoogle's self-stated mission "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful" may apply with less force when...
With 140 Characters at a Time, Twitter Is Presenting New Challenges to Journalists
Read preview
Experts point out same legal and ethical rules apply to new reporting toolRon Sylvester, who witnessed his newsroom's switch from typewriters to computers, likes to tell the story of when he realized that everything in journalism had really changed.In...
