Lecture dynamics of mass communication (9th edition) chapter 15 joseph r dominick

THE DYNAMICS OF MASS COMMUNCATION Joseph R Dominick University of Georgia Athens McGraw­Hill © 2007 The McGraw­Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved Regulation of the Mass Media McGraw­Hill © 2007 The McGraw­Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved Chapter 15 Formal Controls:  Laws,  Rules,  Regulations McGraw­Hill Chapter Outline The Press, the Law, and the Courts Protecting News Sources Covering the Courts A Reporter’s Access to Information Defamation Invasion of Privacy Copyright Obscenity and Pornography Regulating Broadcasting Regulating Cable TV The Telecommunications Act of 1996 Regulating Advertising © 2007 The McGraw­Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved The Press the Law and the Courts 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 peaceably to assemble,  and to petition the Government for a  redress of grievances – The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States McGraw­Hill © 2007 The McGraw­Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved The Press the Law and the Courts • Prior Restraint: the government attempts to  censor the press before something is published • Two cases – Near vs. Minnesota (1920s) – The Pentagon Papers (1970s) • Secretary McNamara’s study of the Vietnam War • U.S.AttorneyMitchellasksforpriorrestraint ã Newspaperspublishedportionsinturns ã SupremeCourtrulesinfavorofpapers(1971) McGrawưHill â2007TheMcGrawưHillCompanies,Inc.AllRightsreserved Protecting News Sources • The Reporter’s Privilege • Paul Branzburg of the Louisville Courier­ Journal (1969) • U.S. Supreme Court: 1st Amendment does  not prevent questions about a criminal  investigation • Shield laws protect news­source  • Reporter Judith Miller served jail time for  not revealing source McGraw­Hill © 2007 The McGraw­Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved Protecting News Sources • Search and seizure an unannounced court­issued warrant to search  for and seize a reporter’s notes • Stanford Daily (1971) – Clash between police and demonstrators – Policewithsearchwarrantforphotosofincident Searchruledlegalin1978 ã ReportersCommitteeforFreedomofthe Pressv.AT&T(1974) ã N.Y.TimesandMyronFarber(1976) McGrawưHill â2007TheMcGrawưHillCompanies,Inc.AllRightsreserved Covering the Courts • Free Press (1st) vs. Fair Trial (6th) • Publicity before and during a trial – Jury contamination – Case of Dr. Sam Sheppard (1954) – Case of Leslie Irvin (1961) • Supreme Court’s 6 safeguards include – Sequestering the jury Change of venue – Injunctionsagainstdivulginginformationby ã Lawyers Witnesses Others McGrawưHill â2007TheMcGrawưHillCompanies,Inc.AllRightsreserved Covering the Courts • Gag Rules – Nebraska Press Association (1976) – 1980s: jury selection open to the public • Cameras & Microphones in Courtroom  – 1930s Hauptmann / Lindbergh trial – ABA passes Canon 35 of Code of Professional  Ethics – Estes case of 1965 – Canon 3A(7) supersedes 35 (1972) – 1981 Supreme Court decision McGrawưHill â2007TheMcGrawưHillCompanies,Inc.AllRightsreserved A Reporters Access to Information ã FreedomofInformationAct(1966) • Electronic Freedom of Information Act  (1996) • Sunshine Laws • Patriot Act (2001) – Government has more access to email and  telephone records Easiertorestrictaccesstoofficialrecords PresscannotfindoutaboutFBIsearchesof bookbuyingandborrowingrecords McGrawưHill â2007TheMcGrawưHillCompanies,Inc.AllRightsreserved Copyright ã Copyright laws protect authors against unfair  appropriation of their work • For works created after January 1978, copyrights  last life of author plus 70 years • Works created before then are protected for a period  of 95 years • Copyright laws protect literary and dramatic  manuscripts,musicworks,soundrecordings, motionpictures,andTVprograms ã Notprotectedareideas,news,discoveries,or procedures McGrawưHill â2007TheMcGrawưHillCompanies,Inc.AllRightsreserved Copyright ã Fair use: someone can copy work for  teaching, research, news reporting, etc • Qualifying factors  – – – – Purpose of the use (profit vs. non­profit) Nature of the work Percentageofworkcopied Effectofuseonpotentialmarketvalueof copyrightedwork McGrawưHill â2007TheMcGrawưHillCompanies,Inc.AllRightsreserved Copyright ã ã ã • • 1995: Internet materials covered by copyright laws 1999: Napster sued by recording industry KaZaA and Grokster take up the Napster torch Industry sues 250+ individuals Recording industry joined movie industry in suing  peer­to­peer services who illegally download  copyrighted material • 2005TheSupremeCourtruledthatfileưsharing servicescanbesuedforcopyrightinfringement McGrawưHill â2007TheMcGrawưHillCompanies,Inc.AllRightsreserved Obscenity and Pornography ã Obscenitynotprotectedby1stAmendment • What is obscene? • Hicklin Rule (1860s): a work is obscene if  isolated passages tend to deprave or corrupt  the mind of the most susceptible person • Roth vs. United States (1957)  McGraw­Hill © 2007 The McGraw­Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved Obscenity and Pornography • Roth proved problematic • Later decisions added  – “patently offensive”  – “utterly without redeeming social value”  – variable obscenity (1969) McGraw­Hill © 2007 The McGraw­Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved Obscenity and Pornography • Miller vs. California (1973) an average person, applying contemporary  community standards, finds the work as a whole  appeals to prurient interest the work depicts or describes in a patently  offensive way certain sexual conduct that is  specifically spelled out by state law the whole work lacks serious literary, artistic,  political, or scientific value McGrawưHill â2007TheMcGrawưHillCompanies,Inc.AllRightsreserved Obscenity and Pornography ã 1988ChildProtectionandObscenity EnforcementAct Specifically mentions computers • 1996 – Communications Decency Act – Ruled unconstitutional • Child Online Protection Act – Blocked by appeals court • Children’s Internet Protection Act – Affects libraries that receive federal funds – Ruled constitutional by U.S. Supreme Court (2003) McGraw­Hill © 2007 The McGraw­Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved Regulating Broadcasting • Radio Act of 1927 – Airwaves belong to the public – Broadcasters must be licensed – Scarcity of the resource means more regulations • Federal Communications Commission – Doesn’t make laws; interprets them – Operates within the public interest • Children’s Television Act  – Requires educational programming – Limits commercial time during children’s programming McGrawưHill â2007TheMcGrawưHillCompanies,Inc.AllRightsreserved Regulating Broadcasting ã FCCPunitiveActions Fineastationupto$250,000 Renewalicenseonprobation,usuallya year Revokeorfailtorenewalicense ã 99.8%ofalllicensesarerenewed McGrawưHill â2007TheMcGrawưHillCompanies,Inc.AllRightsreserved Regulating Broadcasting • FCC Issues of Continuing Concern  • Indecent content banned between 6 a.m. ­  10 p.m • Equal Opportunities Rule – Bona fide candidates for public office – 1 min  1 min – x $/min  x $/min • Fairness Doctrine – Not currently in force – Broadcasters must present opposing viewpoints  oncontroversialpublicmatters McGrawưHill â2007TheMcGrawưHillCompanies,Inc.AllRightsreserved Regulating Cable TV ã ã ã • 1950s: FCC says it has no say over cable 1960­1972: FCC writes series of regulations 1980s: Almost all regulations dropped Cable Communications Act of 1984 – Operators decide rates and channels – State and local governments grant franchises McGraw­Hill © 2007 The McGraw­Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved Regulating Cable TV • Cable TV Act of 1992 – – – – – FCC regulates cable fees Cable must carry broadcast stations Broadcast can waive right if cable pays them Cable rates dropped by 17% Broadcast rights challenged in court • 1994/1997: Supreme Court upholds “must  carry” McGrawưHill â2007TheMcGrawưHillCompanies,Inc.AllRightsreserved The Telecommunications Act of 1996 ã Nolimitonradiostationsownedbyoneentity; up to 8 in one market • No limit on TV stations owned by one entity, but  it must be less than 39% of nation’s TV homes • Telephone companies can do cable TV • Cable TV companies can do telephone • Deregulation of cable rates • V­chip and ratings system McGraw­Hill © 2007 The McGraw­Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved Regulating Advertising • Deceptive advertising • Until 1900s, caveat emptor • FTC created in 1914 to clean up business  practices • 1938 Wheeler­Lea Act  • FTC enforcement – Trade regulations suggested guidelines – Consent order – advertiser agrees to stop practice  without admitting wrongdoing – Cease­and­desist order – if company doesn’t  comply, FTC can fine  McGraw­Hill © 2007 The McGraw­Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved Regulating Advertising Is your commercial speech protected  by the 1st ? Use the Supreme  Court’s 4­part test!  Does the government have substantial interest in regulating the speech?  Does it involve unlawful activity or advertising that’s false or misleading?  Does the state’s regulation actually advance the government’s interest?  Are the state’s regulations only as broad as necessary to promote the  state’s interest? McGraw­Hill © 2007 The McGraw­Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved ... McGraw­Hill Reporters entering with permission? ?of? ?a police officer Reporters accompanying the police into a private home Reportersfollowingdemonstratorsontocompanyproperty Reportersaccompanyingpoliceservingasearchwarrant... Reportersaccompanyingpoliceservingasearchwarrant â2007TheMcGrawưHillCompanies,Inc.AllRightsreserved Copyright ã Copyrightlawsprotectauthorsagainstunfair appropriationoftheirwork ã ForworkscreatedafterJanuary1978,copyrights... ForworkscreatedafterJanuary1978,copyrights lastlifeofauthorplus70years • Works created before then are protected for a period  of? ?95 years • Copyright laws protect literary and dramatic  manuscripts, music works, sound recordings,  motion pictures, and TV programs