Students Presenting at AEJMC Conference in August

By on May 20, 2013 in Copyright, First Amendment, Internet, Journalism

Nearly 25 percent of the media law and policy research papers accepted for presentation at the annual convention of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) were written by UNC students.

Five students had six papers accepted for presentation in the Law and Policy Division at the AEJMC convention to be held in August in Washington, D.C.  All paper submissions were blind-reviewed in competition with both student and faculty-authored papers.

No other university had as many as six papers accepted in the Law and Policy Division.

These are the students and the titles of their papers:

  • Jesse Abdenour (J-School Ph.D. student):  “Documenting Fair Use: Has the Statement of Best Practices Loosened the Fair Use Reins for Documentary Filmmakers?”
  • Kevin Delaney (M.A./J.D. student): “The State of Indecency Law: A Positive and Normative Evaluation of the Fox Cases”
  • Karen McIntyre (J-School Ph.D. student): “Droned Journalism: Using Unmanned Aircraft to Gather News and When Such Use Might Invade Privacy”
  • Hysosun Kim (J-School Ph.D. student):  “New Media?  New Guidelines?  FDA Regulation of Online DTC Prescription Drug Promotion”
  • Elizabeth Woolery (J-School Ph.D. student):  “The Press, the Public, and Capital Punishment: California First Amendment Coalition and the Development of a First Amendment Right to Witness Executions”
  • Elizabeth Woolery (J-School Ph.D. student):  “When (News)gathering Isn’t Enough:  The Right to Gather Information in Public Places”

As the titles reflect, these papers present legal research on some of the most pressing and interesting legal and constitutional issues in today’s complex and evolving media environment.

Congratulations, young legal scholars!

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Carolina Law CLE Session: Media Law in the Digital Age

By on May 2, 2013 in Defamation, First Amendment, Internet

Next Wednesday, May 8, I’ll be presenting a continuing legal education (CLE) session in Wilmington, NC at the New Hanover County Executive Development Center.  The topic will be “Media Law in the Digital Age: Internet Defamation and other Digital Torts.”  Here is the description from the law school’s website:

With the advent of the Internet, everyone is a publisher today. Whether it is a company blog, Twitter or even Facebook, these publishing platforms can open you and your clients up to a potential lawsuit. Professor David S. Ardia will review the most recent case law on this evolving topic and share best practices for limiting liability and responding to claims involving speech on the Internet. UNC School of Law invites you to join Professor Ardia and other Carolina grads for this “lunch and learn” session as we explore the impact the Internet is having on media law, with a particular emphasis on libel, privacy, and other digital torts.

If you are in the Wilmington area, I hope you will come. It starts at noon and (bonus!) includes lunch. To register, go to the law school’s event page.

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Center Staffers Honored

By on April 23, 2013 in Center for Media Law and Policy

Three students who work in the UNC Center for Media Law and Policy were honored at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication’s annual awards ceremony on April 22, 2013.

Liz Woolery, a second-year Ph.D. student, won the John B. Adams Award for Excellence in Mass Communication Law.  Liz plans events and does communications work for the center

John Remensperger was honored as the year’s outstanding master’s graduate.  He designed and maintains the center’s website.

Julia Wall received the Stuart Sechriest Award, which is given to the top undergraduate photojournalism student.  She was the center’s photographer this semester.

Congratulations to our wonderful students!

 

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Final Interdisciplinary Lunch of the Year

By on April 9, 2013 in Center for Media Law and Policy, Privacy

This Friday the Center will hold its final interdisciplinary lunch of the year from noon to 1:15 p.m. in the Halls of Fame Room in Carroll Hall. The topic for this lunch is “Privacy by Design.” More information on the lunch (and how to RSVP) is available here.

If you haven’t attended one of our lunches yet, here’s what you’re missing:

The chance to meet new people
The lunches are open to Carolina graduate students and faculty. And the lunches truly are interdisciplinary. We have had students, faculty, and staff from the School of Information and Library Science, School of Law, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Department of Computer Science, Health Sciences, Office of Human Research Ethics, University Libraries, and more. If you’re looking for opportunities to collaborate across disciplines, there could not be a better place to start than with a conversation over lunch.

Exposure to new topics and new ideas
Between the suggested readings and the conversation at the lunch, attendees are guaranteed exposure to research topics and ideas they hadn’t previously considered. Though the topic for each lunch is set in advance, the conversation is only loosely structured, which means that each lunch can cover a lot of scholarly ground. At each lunch we address a different topic; over the course of a year we tackle between four and six media law and policy-related issues.

Great conversation
By the time Friday rolls around, maybe you’re feeling a little burned out and you’re looking forward to the weekend. What better way to slip into the weekend than with some great scholarly conversation? Given the interdisciplinary nature of these lunches, everyone comes at these topics from a different perspective, which makes for a fun discussion.

Input on future lunches and topics
One of the best parts of bringing together people from across the University is that everyone brings something different to the table. And when it comes to thinking about topics for future lunches, that means that you can suggest an interesting topic for our next lunch! Do you have an idea for a future topic? We are all ears.

And last, but certainly not least: Good food!
If you show up, we are happy to feed you – usually sandwiches or wraps from some of the great restaurants in Chapel Hill. Free food and interesting discussion. What could be better?

Here’s a list of topics we’ve been talking about at these lunches over the past two years:

  • Privacy and Human Subject Research
  • Wikipedia as an Example of The Promises and Pitfalls of Peer-Produced Media
  • Who Owns Research Data?
  • Studying Social Media
  • Social Networks, Privacy, and Politics
  • The Right to Be Forgotten

What are you waiting for? RSVP for Friday’s lunch by 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 10. More information on the lunch (and how to RSVP) is available here.

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Summer Public Interest Grants for Law and Graduate Students

By on March 21, 2013 in Journalism

Each year, the UNC School of Law provides summer grants to law students taking unpaid or low-paying summer public interest jobs. Funding for these grants comes from several sources including: the Carolina Public Interest Law Organization (CPILO), private funds given through generous donors, law school funds allocated by the Dean, and student organizations that fundraise to support students working in a particular area of interest.  This year the Center for Media Law and Policy is also contributing funds to assist students (both UNC law and graduate students) who have a summer job in the field of media law or media policy.

For UNC law students, the deadline for applying for a summer grant is March 21, 2013 at 5:00 p.m.  The application process (and general requirements) for these funds is the same as for the law school’s Summer Public Interest Grant.  Simply check the box on the general application for “Media Law or Policy” under the heading “Substantive Areas Your Summer Employment Will Involve” and you will be automatically considered for these funds.  If you have already filled out an application, just log back in and check the box for “Media Law or Policy”; you can make changes to your application until the application deadline at 5pm today (3/21).

For UNC graduate students, the deadline for applying for a summer grant is March 25, 2013 at 5:00 p.m.  Please download the application form and send it directly to us at medialaw [at] unc.edu along with the other supporting material described below.  Students will be notified of a decision in early April.

Requirements and Information on How to Apply

You must have a job offer from one of the following types of organizations to be eligible: a nonprofit organization (an organization that is described in section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of the Code), a legal aid office, a state or federal government agency, a public defender office, or a district attorney office.

Applications will be evaluated based on (a) your demonstrated commitment to public service and (b) the quality of your essays (each essay must not be more than 500 words).

Required documents include:

  1. Resume (without grade information)
  2. Offer letter from your employer
  3. Essays (no more than 500 words each) *

* Essay questions:

  • Essay #1: Describe your work responsibilities and the community needs you will be addressing.
  • Essay #2: Describe your commitment to public service. How have your past interests and work experiences contributed to your proposed summer internship responsibilities?
  • Essay #3: How do you see this summer work experience contributing to your long-term career goals?

Be sure to check out 10 Tips for Writing a Strong Grant Application.

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