Mass Media Law

CD-ROM contains:an updated student study guide that includes case study exercises and the full text of several cases, as well as self-tests, discussion questions, and other study aids.

Digital media law is now the dynamic legal territory. Mass Media Law: The Printing Press to the Internet is a textbook designed to introduce students to the panoply of legal theories raised by the Internet revolution as well as those supporting traditional media. The book takes a historical approach beginning with the printing press and the telegraph and proceeding to the digital technologies of today, such as social media and search engines. Concepts such as defamation, broadcast regulation, privacy, and free expression are covered along with new media legal theories including Internet exceptionalism, cyber libertarianism, and digital speech and democratic culture. These are introduced to explain why traditional theories such as First Amendment medium-specific analysis, common carriage, and network neutrality are just as relevant today as they were in the early twentieth century. In order to help readers develop critical reasoning skills, each chapter opens with a highly readable realworld vignette and goes on to identify and explain legal doctrines and tests. Key passages from court opinions are highlighted, and each chapter closes with a list of online media law resources and thought-provoking questions, including legal hypotheticals, to give readers a solid understanding of the area in question. Mass Media Law is designed to be the main text and a valuable resource for undergraduate and graduate courses covering media, mass communication, free expression, and journalism law.

This market-leading text discusses the most relevant mass media legal decisions, from the Constitution to the most recent Supreme Court judgement. From the Internet to political advertising law, it examines the current issues that are shaping the United States legal system.

Media Law: A Guide to Understanding Mass Communication Law

The SAGE Guide to Key Issues in Mass Media Ethics and Law is an authoritative and rigorous two-volume, issues-based reference set that surveys varied views on many of the most contentious issues involving mass media ethics and the law. Divided into six thematic sections covering information from contrasting ethical responsibly and legal rights for both speech and press, newsgathering and access, and privacy to libelous reporting, business considerations, and changing rules with social media and the Internet, the information in this guide is extremely relevant to a variety of audiences. This guide specifically focuses on matters that are likely to be regular front-page headlines concerning topics such as technological threats to privacy, sensationalism in media coverage of high-profile trials, cameras in the courtroom, use of confidential sources, national security concerns and the press, digital duplication and deception, rights of celebrities, plagiarism, and more. Collectively, this guide assesses key contentious issues and legal precedents, noting current ethical and legal trends and likely future directions. Features: Six thematic sections consist of approximately a dozen chapters each written by eminent scholars and practitioners active in the field. Sections open with a general Introduction by the volume editors and conclude with a wrap-up “Outlook” section to highlight likely future trends. Chapters follow a common organizational outline of a brief overview of the issue at hand, historical background and precedent, and presentation of various perspectives (pro, con, mixed) to the issue. “See also” cross references guide readers to related chapters and references and further readings guide users to more in-depth resources for follow-up. This reference guide is an excellent source for the general public, students, and researchers who are interested in expanding their knowledge in mass media and the ethics and law surrounding it.

"This is the best all-around media law text for undergraduate and graduate students alike. The clear, nonthreatening writing style of the authors, by itself, sets this book apart. And yet, it does so by not leaving out any important areas of inquiry. That’s why my colleagues and I continue to adopt this for all of our media law classes." —Jonathan Kotler, University of Southern California In The Law of Journalism and Mass Communication, authors Susan Dente Ross, Amy Reynolds, and Robert Trager present a lively, up-to-date, and comprehensive introduction to media law that brings the law to life for future professional communicators. The book is grounded in the traditions and rules of law but also contains fresh facts and relevant examples that keep readers engaged. Tightly focused breakout boxes highlight contemporary examples of the law in action or emphasize central points of law as well as intersections with international law and policy. The thoroughly updated Seventh Edition contains a wealth of new content that is as timely as possible—from the U.S. Supreme Court, federal and state courts, Congress, executive agencies, federal and state policymakers and advisory groups, and media organizations and allies. A refreshed look, feel, and flow of chapters provide readers an understanding of fast-expanding areas of the law and legal complexities.