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Media Law Course Objectives
The objective of this course is to help students explain and interpret the many legal questions that news media professionals face in reporting news and information to the public. The knowledge gained in this course will be especially useful for students planning to work in journalism, advertising, or public relations, as well as any student seeking to learn more about matters of media law. Students will learn to analyze cases and legal problems, and identify to most pertinent issues in areas such as:
- Freedom of speech
- Freedom of the press
- Libel
- Privacy
- News gathering practices
- Confidentiality of news sources
- Public access to government information
- Obscenity
- Advertising
- Telecommunications
- Intellectual Property
This course will utilize lectures and class discussions, as well as the best-regarded and most influential textbook in the field, Mass Media Law by Pember and Calvert. Students will be tested on their understanding of the legal concepts and cases discussed in class and in the textbook. The ultimate objective of this course is to help students appraise and interpret the roles of media professionals and media institutions in shaping communications law.
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