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

Powerpoint class notes

1.IntroCommLaw.2026

2.Ethics.2026

3.Law.history.2026

4.PriorRestraint.2026

5.Libel2026.new

6.Privacy2025

MidTermReview2025

7.Advertising2025

8.Broadcasting2025.

9.News2026 

10.DigitalMedia2026

11.Copyright2026 

12.Antitrust2026sp

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