Communications Law and Ethics
"No experiment can be more interesting than that we are now trying." – Thomas Jefferson
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Course
About this site
Syllabus (general)
Schedule (general)
Comm Law short course
Gov’s School 2023
COMS 611 graduate syllabus
Podcasts
Powerpoint class notes
Cases in Comm Law
FIRAC analysis
Laws & Treaties
R1 – Int’l Media research
Exam reviews
— Moot Court —
About moot court
Moot Court Cases
MC1 – Research
MC2 – Writing a legal brief
MC3 – Oral argument
Intro
1.2 Human rights worldwide
1.3 Structure of judicial system
1.4 Case example
1.5 Principles of democracy
1.6 Basics of media law
1.7 First Amendment doctrines
1.8 First Amendment jurisprudence
1.9 Int’l Comm Law
1.Q Intro quiz
2 ETHICS
2.2 Traditions of ethics
2.3 Religious & moral principles
2.4 Professional ethics
2.5 AI, ICT, & Social responsibility
2.6 Images & ethics
2.7 Ethics hypotheticals
2.Q Ethics quiz
History
3.1.1 Legal codes
3.2 Enlightenment
3.3 The US Constitution
3.4 Nineteenth Century
3.Q History quiz
4 CENSORSHIP
4.2 Twentieth century
4.3 Hate speech
4.3.1 US vs EU: digital services
4.4 Obscenity
4.5 Compelled speech
4.6 Right of Association
4.7 Right of Assembly & Petition
4.8 Free speech on campus
4.9 Local Gov’t & First Amendment
4.Q Censorship quiz
Libel-Privacy
5.2 Background on Libel
5.3 Sullivan and related cases
5.4 Libel – Current cases
5.4.1 Trump’s libel suits
5.5 International libel
5.6 Hypotheticals: Libel
5.Q Libel quiz
6 PRIVACY
6.2 Publication of private facts
6.3 False Light
6.4 lntrusion & trespass
6.5 Misappropriation
6.6 Digital media & privacy
6.7 Hypotheticals: Privacy
6.Q Privacy quiz
Ad-PR
7.2 Advertising legal history
7.3 Advertising cases
7.4 Advertising regulation
7.5 Deceptive advertising
7.6 FDA, Oxycontin and ‘Dopesick’
7.7 Alcohol ads
7.8 Tobacco ads
7.9 Regulating children’s ads
7.10 Public forum ads
7.11 Signs & advertising
7.12 Corporate speech (PR)
7.13 Int’l Ad Regs
7.Q Ad-PR quiz
RTVF-News
8.2 Radio & TV Regulation
8.2.1 Fairness Doctrine – Equal Time
8.3 Broadcast censorship
8.4 Film censorship
8.Q R-TV-F quiz
NEWS 9.1
9.2 News gathering photo & video
9.3 FOIA
9.3.1 Virginia FOIA
9.4 Free press fair trial
9.4.1 Pre-trial publicity
9.5 Shield laws
9.6 Trespass & newsroom searches
9.7 Student press law
9.Q News quiz
Digital
10.2 Section 230
10.3 Digital access & de-platforming
10.4 Digital Privacy
10.5 Digital structure
10.Q Digital media quiz
Copyright
11.2 Copyright basics & history
11.3 Copyright and music
11.3.1 More parodies
11.4 Copyright cases
11.5 Copyright & Public Domain
11.6 Copyright and digital media
11.7 AI and Copyright
11.8 Trademark issues
11.Q Copyright quiz
AntiTtrust
12.2 Antitrust & traditional media
12.3 Structure of broadcasting
12.4 Structure of digital media
12.Q Anti-trust quiz
US v Press Publishing
Published in the
Rocky Mountain News (Daily)
, Volume 49, Number 351, December 16, 1908