MC 6300 Media Law abnd Ethics Dr. Larry L. Burriss B.A., The Ohio State University, Broadcast Journalism M.A., The Ohio State University, Journalism M.A., University of Oklahoma, Human Relations Ph.D., Ohio University, Communications J.D., Concord Law School Lt Col, USAF (ret.) lburriss@mtsu.edu http://capone.mtsu.edu/lburriss Legal Research and IRAC Issue Rule Application Conclusion https://www.enjuris.com/students/irac-format-tips.html https://youveenteredlawland.com/irac-for-law-school-essays-and-exams/ Course Outline & Readings I Ethical Theories II Introduction to the Law and the Legal System III Freedom of the Press IV Time, Place, Manner V Broadcast VI Defamation VII Invasion of Privacy VIII Access to Government Records & Meetings IX Mass Media & National Security X Pornography & Obscenity XI Copyright XII Internet XIII Commercial Speech XIV Free Press/Fair Trial St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Types of Law Natural Law (malum in se / malum prohibitum) Positive Law Common Law Lon Fuller: Ways to Make Laws Fail Freedom vs. Justice Freedom 'to' vs. Freedom 'from' Edmund Burke Rights vs. Laws Ethical Theories & The First Amendment Why Do We Do What We Do? Determinism Ethical Theories Consequentialist Deontological Normative Ethical Theories Utilitarianism: The greatest good for the greatest number Act Rule Kantianism: Categorical Imperative Contractarianism: The Social Contract Current Perspectives on the First Amendment Zechariah Chafee (1885-1957) Alexander Meiklejohn (1872-1964) Jerome Barron (1933- ) Thomas Emerson (1907-1991) Vincent Blasi (1943- ) Current Perspectives on the First Amendment Zechariah Chafee: Balancing Alexander Meiklejohn: Free Speech and It's Relation to Self-Government (1948) Jerome Barron: Access to the media Thomas Emerson: Self-fulfillment, Inalienable rights, (Argued Griswold v. Connecticut) Vincent Blasi: Watch-dog role General Concepts and Theories * Absolutist * Compelled Speech * Compelling State Interest * Facial Challenges * Freedom of Association * Incorporation of the First Amendment * Least Restrictive Means * Liberty Model * Natural Law * Natural Rights * Original Intent * Preferred Position Doctrine * Privacy * Right to Be Forgotten * State Constitutional Provisions on Expressive Rights * Unconstitutional Conditions Doctrine * Viewpoint Discrimination Determining if a law violates the First Amendment Tests the court uses to determine if a law that restricts the First Amendment is constitutional * Strict Scrutiny * Rational Basis First Amendment Theory, Method & Doctrine Theory Method Doctrinet Classic First Amendment Theories Marketplace of Ideas Human Freedom, Dignity and Self-Fulfillment Democratic Self-Governance First Amendment Method Absolutism Ad Hoc Balancing Heightened scrutiny (definitional balancing, preferred position) First Amendment Doctrine Three-part test for libel Miller Test for Obscenity Four-part test for copyright fair use Three levels of the 'public forum' Etc. Etc. Etc. What's the Problem? Bad Tendency: The speech will have a tendency to cause or incite illegal or immoral activity. Clear and Present Danger: The speech presents a danger that may be real and imminent. Imminent Lawless Action: Speaker intends to incite a violation of the law that is both imminent and likely. Mere advocacy is not enough. Introduction to Media Law First Amendment Time, Place Manner Broadcast Defamation Invasion of Privacy Pornography & Obscenity Copyright Records & Meetings Media & National Security Internet Free Press / Fair trial Advertising First Amendment Government vs. Business Time, Place and Manner The 'reasonable person' Broadcast Federal Communications Commission Libel Publication, Identification Defamation Public Officials, Public Figures, Private Figures Privacy Invasion of Solitude Publication of Private Matters False Light Misappropriation Pornography & Obscenity Constitutional Protections Records & Meetings TN Open Records & Open Meetings Federal Freedom of Information Act Media & National Security Espionage Act of 1917 Right of Access Right to Publish Internet Protection for children vs. access for adults Whose information is it? Free Press / Fair Trial State vs. Federal Criminal vs. Civil Advertising / Commercial Speech Federal Trade Commission What does the ad say and how does it say it? Copyright Who, what, when, how Fair Use The nature of the use The nature of the work Proportion taken Economic impact Exceptions to Full Protection Congress shall make no law * respecting an establishment of religion, * or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; * or abridging the freedom of speech * or of the press, * or the right of the people to peaceably assemble, * and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Exceptions to the First Amendment Exceptions to Full Protection 1. Incitement 2. False Statements of Fact (Defamation 3. False Statements of Fact (Beyond Defamation) 3. Obscenity/Pornography 4. Speech Integral to Unlawful Conduct 5. Speech Owned by Others 6. Commercial Advertising Case Law: History, Theory, Application LAW AND REGULATION I. Philosophy & Law A. Aristotle B. Cicero C. Basic issues in the Law 1. The problem of knowledge 2. The problem of conduct 3. The problem of government II. Why Do We Do What We Do? A. Morality B. Behavior C. Legality III. Who Does What to Whom A. Plaintiff (petitioner, complainant) B. Defendant (respondent, accused) C. Appellant (plaintiff in error) D. Appellee (defendant in error, respondent) IV. Civil Law v. Criminal Law A. Who is bringing the action B. Punishment C. Burden of Proof D. Right of appeal E. Protections for the defendant V. Where Does Law Come From A. Constitutional Law B. Statutory Law C. Administrative Law D. Common Law VI. Determining if a Law Violates the Constitution A. Strict Scrutiny 1. Does the law advance a compelling state interest? 2. Is the law narrowly tailored? 3. Is the law the least restrictive necessary? B. Rational Basis 1. Is the law rationally related to a legitimate state interest? VII. Common Law A. Precedent B. Stare decisis VIII. Constitutional Law A. The role of the Constitution 1. The supremacy clause 2. Separation of powers 3. Judicial review B. Interpreting the Constitution 1. Absolutist 2. Preferred position 3. Presumption of constitutionality 4. Compelling state interest 5. Over-breadth VIII. Uh-Oh, You Lose A. Injunctions B. Restraining orders C. Summary Judgment IX. The Appellate Process A. Trial courts and appellate courts B. Federal courts 1. District courts 2. Court of appeals 3. U.S. Supreme Court X. Authority A. Primary v. Seconday B. Mandatory v. Persuasive XI. Reading the Law and the Citation System A. Supreme Court cases B. Court of Appeals cases C. Federal District Court cases D. United States Code E. Law Reviews XII. Reading and Applying the Law: The Pentagon Papers FREEDOM OF THE PRESS I. Restraints on Speech and Action A. Background 1. Treason 2. Sedition 3. Seditious libel B. Historical development 1. Alien and Sedition Acts (1798) 2. The Civil War (1860-1864) 3. World War I C. Cases and comments 1. Schenck v. U.S. (1919) 2. Gitlow v. New York (1925) and the theory of incorporation 3. Smith Act (1940) 4. Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969) II. Prior Restraint A. William Blackstone and the Commentaries B. Social and political control C. Cases and Comments 1. Near v. Minnesota (1931) 2. Pentagon Papers 1971) 3. Aviation Week and Space Technology 4. United States v. Progressive (1979) BROADCASTING AND THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION I. Philosophical Background A. Public Interest, Convenience and Necessity B. Scarcity vs. Access C. Technology vs. Content II. Rules and Regulations A. Fairness Doctrine B. Personal Attack Rules C. United States Code 1. 312: Administrative Sanctions 2. 315: Candidates for Public Office 3. 317: Announcement of Payment for Broadcast 4. 326: Censorship 5. 508: Disclosure of Payments to Individuals D. Cameras in the Courtroom 1. Chandler v. Florida (1981) 2. Federal Court Rules 3. Tennessee Court Rules TIME, PLACE AND MANNER RESTRAINTS I. Issues A. Judicial Review (Content based v. content neutral) B. Symbolic speech C. Public facilities and the public forum 1. The traditional public forum 2. The limited public forum 3. The non-public forum II. Cases and Comments A. Kovacs v. Cooper (1949) B. Southeastern Promotions v. Conrad (1975) C. Texas v. Johnson (1989) D. Barnes v. Glenn Theatre (1991) E. Krishna Consciousness v. Lee (1992); Lee v. Krishna Consciousness (1992) F. Snyder v. Phelps (2011) III Institutional Concerns A. Schools 1. Public schools a. Tinker v. Des Moines School District (1969) b. Island Trees School District v. Pico (1982) c. Bethel School District v. Fraser (1986) d. Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeyer (1988) e. Morse v. Frederick (2007) f. Westside Community School District v. Mergens (1990) B. Colleges and universities DEFAMATION I. Background II. Definition: A. Any false statement that tends to 1. Bring a person into public hatred, contempt, ridicule 2. Cause a person to be shunned or avoided 3. Injure a person in their business or occupation B. It is libelous per se if any of the following conditions exist: 1. You accuse someone of a crime and the person is innocent 2. Statements or insinuations of insanity or loathsome disease 3. Statements or assertions of a lack of capacity to conduct their business or profession 4. Any statement which tends to bring a person into public hatred, contempt or scorn C. Group libel III. How do you do it? A. Publication 1. Dissemination to a third party 2. Each person can be sued 3. You do not need to have originated the libel to be sued B. Identification 1. Plaintiff has to prove someone believed the reference was to him/her 2. That's why editors insist on complete identification, with no errors C. Defamation 1. If there is no defamation, there is no libel 2. Any false statement that tends to a. Bring a person into public hatred, contempt, ridicule b. Cause a person to be shunned or avoided c. Injure a person in their business or occupation IV. Fault A. Types 1. Negligence - Failure to do something you have a duty to do 2. Malice - Published with reckless disregard for the truth B. Damages 1. Compensatory 2. Punitive C. Strict liability V. Defenses A. Major 1. Truth a. Plaintiff must show the elements of libel are present b. Defendant must prove the statements are true, according to the rule of evidence c. If the statement is true, then the motives for publication are irrelevant. d. If the statement is false, then the key issue becomes fault (negligence or malice) 2. Privilege a. Types i. Absolute ii. Qualified b. Sen. William Proxmire's "Golden Fleece Award" c. Section 315 Privilege 3. Fair Comment a. There is no such thing as a false opinion b. Protects the expression of opinion about the public performance of those who voluntarily place themselves before the public c. Protects expression if: i. the expression is based on fact ii. the expression is a critique of public performance, not private life B. Minor Defenses 1. Neutral Reporting 2. Right of Reply 3. Consent 4. Statute of Limitations VI. Cases A. New York Times v. Sullivan (1964) B. Curtis Publishing v. Butts (1967) C. AP v. Walker (1967) D. Rosenbloom v. Metromedia (1971) E. Gertz V. Welch (1974) F. Time v. Firestone (1976) G. Herbert v. Lando (1976) PRIVACY I. Background A. Privacy in American life 1. Personal privacy 2. Location Privacy 3. Information Privacy B. Rights v. Laws II. Issues A. Invasion of Solitude 1. Wiretapping 2. Listening to private conversations 3. Photography B. Publication of Private Matters 1. "The Truth Can Hurt" 2. Public records C. False Light 1. Photography 2. Fictionalization D. Misappropriation 1. Name 2. Likeness/Image E. Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress F. Right to Publicity 1. Bela Lugosi 1. Zacchini v. Scripps-Howard (1967) 2. The Lone Ranger 3. Columbia Broadcasting v. DeCosta (1967) 4. Carson v. Here's Johnny (1983) III. Newsworthiness v. Misappropriation A. The Kiss B. How Much is Your Dead Name Worth? IV. Defenses A. Newsworthinesss B. Consent V. Cases A. Sidis v. F-R Publishing (1940) B. Time v. Hill (1967) ACCESS TO GOVERNMENT INFORMATION, RECORDS AND MEETINGS I. Philosophical Background A. Informed Debate B. Public Access v. News Media Access C. Why Do You Want To Know That? D. Computer Access v. Paper Access E. Government Records v. Business Records F. Access to the Judicial Process II. Historical Background A. George Washington and the St. Claire Disaster B. Ike and the U-2 C. JFK and the Bay of Pigs III. Tennessee A. Public records law 1. What is available 2. Confidential Records 3. Denial of Access B. Open Meting (Sunshine) laws 1. Access 2. Notice of Public Meetings 3. Records of Meetings 4. Nullification IV. Federal Freedom of Information Act A. Overview 1. Any person 2. All Federal Agencies 3. FOI Officer 4. Response Time B. Coverage C. Making the request D. Exemptions 1. National security 2. Internal agency/personnel rules 3. Information specifically exempted 4. Trade secrets 5. Internal policy discussions 6. Personal privacy matters 7. Law enforcement investigations 8. Federally regulated banks 9. Oil and gas well information V. Reporting First Amendment Activities VI. Federal Privacy Act VII. Federal Open Meeting Law Mass Media and National Security I. A Brief History I. Access to Information II. Laws: A Quick Primer III. Right of Access to Information A. Phillippi v. CIA (1976) B. Flynt v. Rumsfeld (2004) IV. Right to Publish Information A. United States v. Marchetti (1972) and Knopf v. Colby (1975) B. Agee v. CIA (1980) and Haig V. Agee (1982 C. Snepp v. U.S. (1980) V. Spies, Reporters and Whistleblowers VI. USA PAtriot Act A. Background B. Analysis 1. Section 212 - Service providers 2. Section 213 - Delaying notice of execution of warrant 3. Section 214 - Pen Registers / Trap and Trace 4. Section 215 - Access to records 5. Section 220 - National subpoenas F. Section 507 - Disclosure of educational records C. When "they" show up at your door 1. Confidentiality of records 2. Subpoenas v. search warrants v. notification D. FISA Court E. Doe v. Gonzales (2007) THE INTERNET: SPECIAL CASES AND SPECIAL ISSUES I. Overview A. Technical issues B. The Global Village II. You ended up where? A. Regulatory problems B. Blocking software III. Issues A. Cyber Alphabet Soup 1. CDA - Communication Decency Act 2. COPA - Child On-Line Protection Act 3. CPPA - Child Pronography Protection Act 4. PROTECT 5. CIPA - Children's Internet Protection Act 6. COPPA - Children's On-Line Privacy Protection Act 7. Others B. Social networking 1. School issues 2. Privacy concerns C. CyberCrime 1. Computers as targets 2. Computers as storage devices 3. Computers as communication tools 4. Encryption D. Cyber-Jurisdiction 1. Jurisdiction 2. The forum state 3. The minimal contact rule THE PUZZLE OF PORNOGRAPHY I. Societal issues A. Background 1. Sexuality and society 2. Pornography - erotic, sexually stimulating 3. Obscenity - pornography that is offensive to society 4. Indecent - who knows?? B. What the law says . . . and doesn't say 1. Obscenity - Not protected 2. Pornography - Protected C. Some definitional problems II. Effects A. Theoretical Foundations 1. Suggestions and Causes 2. Causes, Effects and Correlations 3. Causal Ordering B. Emotional and Physical Effects 1. Cathartic 2. Accumulative C. Government Involvement 1. Lockhart Commission 2. Meese Commission IV. Zoning Regulations IV. Case Histories A. Regina v. Hicklin (1868) B. Comstock (1873) C. Roth v. US (1957) D. Ginzburg v. US (1966) E. Memoirs v. Massachusetts (1966) F. Stanley v. Georgia (1969) G. Miller v. California (1973) H. Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition (2002) COPYRIGHT I. Philosophy and Background A. The Constitution B. Copyright Protection C. Copyright Basics 1. Intellectual property 2. Infringement v. plaiarism 3. Ownership v. copyright 4. Claiming copyright 5. Transfer of copyright 6. The nnythical and mystical copyright notice II. Fair Use A. Tests 1. Purpose of the use of the work taken 2. Nature of the work taken 3. Proportion of the work taken 4. Economic impact of the taking B. Incidental Use C. Creative Commmons III. Copyright and the Internet A. Public Domain B. Frames and Linking C. "Deep Linking" IV. Creative Commons V. Cases A. Baker v. Selden (1879) B. International News Service v. Associated Press (1918) C. Sony v. Universal City (1984) D. Mills Music v. Snyder (1985) E. Harper & Row v. Nation Enterprises (1985) F. Campbell v. Acuff-Rose (1994) ina VI. Software Piracy ADVERTISING / COMMERCIAL SPEECH I. Philosophical Background A. Mass Production B. Distribution C. Marketing D. Advertising II. Major criticisms A. Persuades us to buy goods we don't need B. Appeals to emotion rather than intellect C. Biased D. Conflicting claims E. Repetitious F. Vulgar G. Subliminal advertising III. The Development of Regulation A. History 1. Laissez-faire capitalism 2. Pure Food and Drug Act (1906) 3. Federal Trade Commission (1914) 4. Wheeler-Lea Amendment (1938) 5. False, Deceptive and Unfair Ads B. Current Lack of Rigor 1. First Amendment protection 2. Political climate of deregulation IV. Cases A. Valentine v. Christensen (1942) B. Bigelow v. Virginia (1975) C. Va. Pharmacy Bd. v. Citizens Consumer Council (1976) D. Warner Lambert v. FTC (1977) E. First National Bank v. Bellotti (1978) F. Liquormart v. Rhode Island (1996) G. Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) H. McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission (2014) FREE PRESS / FAIR TRIAL I. The Conflict A. First Amendment B. Sixth Amendment II. Historical Concerns A. Ruth Snyder execution photograph (1928) B. Lindbergh kidnapping trial (1935) C. Julius & Ethel Rosenberg (1951) III. Cameras in the Courtroom IV. Cases and Comments A. Sheppard v. Maxwell (1966) B. Nebraska Press Association v. Stuart (1976) C. Richmond Newspapers v. Virginia (1980) D. Chandler v. Florida (1981)