Media and the Law

While surveying the entirety of the media law landscape, Media and the Law, Second Edition, focuses in particular on real-world problems-the issues that are most likely to confront media lawyers and their clients in their everyday practices.

Part I addresses fundamental definitional and constitutional issues. Beginning with an examination of how to define the media in the twenty-first century, and why definitional constructs matter, it proceeds to examine the overarching First Amendment principles that set this field of law apart from most others. Parts II and III examine issues that arise, first, from the dissemination of information and, second, from how information is collected in the first place. The chapters cover civil and criminal liability, as well as certain affirmative rights to access information. Part IV addresses more esoteric, although important, legal issues relating to the media business and the special problems that arise from the electronic dissemination of information.This second edition of Media and the Law has been updated substantially, with a particular focus on the legal challenges posed by new communication technologies, including social media and the Internet. It also contains more cases from outside the United States, which will allow students to see how other jurisdictions approach these issues. Given the global distribution of content today, a comparative perspective is essential for every lawyer who advises media clients.

Each chapter begins with a short overview that attempts to put the subject addressed in context. The remaining bulk of the chapters consist principally of edited versions of the relevant cases and legal scholarship. Many of the chapters also include review problems to help students synthesize the material.