Students to Present Media Law Research

By on June 28, 2011 in Journalism

Five UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication graduate students have had media law research papers accepted for presentation at the August 2011 convention of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.  One of the students, Roxane Coche, won third place in the student paper competition.  The judging was done through a process of blind review.  The convention will be in St. Louis, Mo.

These are the students and the titles of their papers:

Ph.D. student Kelly Davis:  “Unknown Knowns:  Judicial Review and Mosaic Theory in the Years of the George W. Bush Administration.”

Ph.D. student Roxane Coche:   “’Blurring’ and ‘Tarnishment’:  How Federal Courts Have Applied the 2006 Trademark Dilution Revision Act Standards.”  ** Third-place student paper.

Ph.D. student Scott Parrott: “Might This ‘Legal Attack Dog’ Have Much Bite?  Righthaven, Fair Use and the Unauthorized Reproduction of News Content Online.”

Ph.D. graduate and adjunct professor Dean Smith: “Journalist Privilege in 1929:  The Quest for a Federal Shield Law Begins.”

Master’s student Gillian Wheat:  “Retransmission Consent:  An Exploration of its Past, Present and Future.”

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Ph.D. Grad to Publish Shield Law Research

By on June 28, 2011 in Journalism

Dean Smith, who received his Ph.D. in the UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication in May 2011, has had an article accepted for publication in the “Journal of Media Law and Ethics” this summer. The article is “Journalist Privilege in 1929: The Quest for a Federal Shield Law Begins.”

In his article, Smith uses a critical legal history approach to explore the first attempts to persuade Congress to adopt a federal shield law and explains the lasting impact of those events. This is the first scholarly treatment of the events, and the article incorporates original historical research. The theoretical lens through which the events are viewed is borrowed from Michael Gerhardt, a well-known constitutional-law scholar on the faculty of the UNC School of Law.  The article is based on Smith’s dissertation research.

Smith is an adjunct professor in the UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication.  He teaches media law and newswriting.

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David Ardia to Join Center, UNC School of Law

By on May 26, 2011 in Center for Media Law and Policy

David Ardia, director of the Citizen Media Law Project at Harvard University, will join the UNC School of Law faculty and become co-director of the UNC Center for Media Law and Policy effective July 1, 2011.

The Citizen Media Law Project provides legal education, assistance and other resources for individuals and organizations involved in online journalism and citizen media. Ardia also is a fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University.

Prior to coming to Harvard, Ardia was assistant counsel at The Washington Post, where he provided pre-publication review and legal advice on First Amendment, newsgathering, intellectual property and general business issues. Ardia also served as a law clerk for Judge Conrad Cyr on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and practiced law at Williams and Connolly in Washington, D.C., where he handled a wide range of media law issues.

Ardia’s research focuses on examining the impact of new information technologies on law and society.  His recent publications include these two law review articles: “Free Speech Savior or Shield for Scoundrels: An Empirical Study of Intermediary Immunity Under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act,” 43 Loy. L.A.L. Rev. 373 (2010), and “Reputation in a Networked World: Revisiting the Social Foundations of Defamation Law,” 45 Harv. C.R.-C.L. L. Rev. 261 (2010).

Ardia received his J.D. degree, summa cum laude, from Syracuse University College of Law and received an LL.M. from Harvard Law School.  Prior to coming to Harvard, he was assistant counsel at The Washington Post, where he provided pre-publication review and legal advice on First Amendment, newsgathering, intellectual property and general business issues.

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First Dual-Degree Student Graduates in May

By on May 2, 2011 in Center for Media Law and Policy

The first student to complete the dual-degree program offered under the auspices of the UNC Center for Media Law and Policy will graduate May 8, 2011.  The student, Nora Sullivan, will recieve a J.D. from the UNC School of Law and a master’s degree from the UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Nora worked as a staff writer on the First Amendment Law Review during the 2009-2010 academic year and served as the journal’s executive editor in 2010-2011.  Her note, “Insincere Apologies: The Tenth Circuit’s Treatment of Compelled Speech in Public High Schools,” was published in the Spring 2010 edition of the journal.

Nora also was awarded the third- place student paper prize in the Law and Policy Division at the 2009 AEJMC Southeast Colloquium.

During the school year, Nora worked as the graduate assistant for the UNC Center for Media Law and Policy and was awarded a Roy H. Park Fellowship from the UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication.  She held the following summer jobs: research assistant for UNC School of Law Professor Deborah Gerhardt; intern for Hon. Carol A. Dalton, associate judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia; and summer fellow for the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau.

After graduation, Nora will serve as a law clerk for Hon. Carol A. Dalton in Washington, D.C.

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Center joins Carnegie Media Law Project

By on April 2, 2011 in Journalism

The UNC Center for Media Law and Policy has joined the Carnegie Media Law Project on Journalism Schools as News Providers.

Funded with a grant from the Carnegie Corporation, the project aims to identify and address the legal needs and concerns of journalism schools whose students are publishing online.  The project is directed by Geanne Rosenberg, professor in the Department of Journalism and the Writing Professions at the Baruch College of the City University of New York.

Participating schools and organizations, in addition to the UNC Center for Media Law and Policy, include Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism, The Poynter Institute, Harvard Law School’s Berkman Center’s Citizen Media Law Project, Howard University, Arizona State University, Boston University, CUNY, American University, University of Missouri, University of Minnesota and USC’s Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism.

In February Professor Rosenberg met in Chapel Hill with members of the faculty of the UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication to hear their thoughts about how to best protect the valuable journalism UNC students are contributing to the public.

On April 8, 2011, representatives of all the participating schools and organizations will meet at The Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla., to continue work on the project.  The UNC Center for Media Law and Policy will be represented at the meeting by Center Director Cathy Packer.

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