Get 1A Smart: Having Your Say & Staying Out of Court

Date/Time
Date(s) - 09/21/2022
2:00 pm - 3:15 pm

Has there ever been a time with more libel cases in the courts and in the headlines?  If following cases like Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard or Dominion Voting v. Fox News has you scratching your head, wondering when your speech is protected and when it isn’t, this is the discussion for you. Is everyone with a Facebook page or Twitter handle a publisher? In an environment of lawsuit after lawsuit, how can individuals tell their life story or voice an opinion without defaming others? Come hear seasoned journalists and lawyers discuss how they decide what to say and how they will say it.  For aspiring journalists, the panel will discuss the role of pre-publication review and the expectations of those giving and receiving feedback.  Everyone will walk away with some helpful guidance on how to stay on the right side of the line when posting online.

Panelists:

• Erica Beshears Perel, Director of the UNC Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media; former General Manager at The Daily Tar Heel
• Aysu Basaran, Assistant News Director at WRAL-TV
• John Drescher, Contributing Editor at The Assembly; former Executive Editor at The News & Observer Publishing Company
• Hugh Stevens, Nationally-known media lawyer and experienced litigator

This panel will be co-moderated by Amanda Martin, Senior Lecturing Fellow and Supervising Attorney at Duke Law’s First Amendment Clinic, and Ben Rossi, 3L at Duke Law School and Intern at First Amendment Clinic.

This event is free and open to the public.

Video from the event is below.