2020 Summer Grants for UNC Law and Graduate Students Interested in Media Law and Policy

By on April 8, 2020 in Center for Media Law and Policy

summer-job-pictureAre you interested in pursuing a career in media law or policy?  Are you worried that you won’t be able to take that plum summer job in Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York, or Washington, because it’s just too expensive to live there.  Well, the Center for Media Law and Policy is here to help.  For the ninth year in a row, the Center will be providing grants to UNC law and graduate students who have a summer job in the field of media law or media policy.

The Center’s summer grants program provides funds to UNC law and graduate students taking unpaid or low-paying jobs in the fields of media law or media policy. In past years, UNC students have received a summer grant to support their work at a wide range of organizations, including the Federal Communications Commission, Federal Trade Commission, National Public Radio, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), Future of Privacy Forum, Student Press Law Center, Broadway Video Group, Screen Media Ventures, American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, and Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society.

Wait, you don’t have a summer job yet?!  Head over to our media law and policy Jobs Center, where you will find dozens of summer (and post-graduate) employment opportunities. You can easily find the perfect job for you by using our advanced search feature to search by location, keyword, or practice area.  Also, try browsing by job type or category for a more expansive look at the jobs listed. Still not sure what you want to do for the summer?  You can read about the summer experiences of your fellow students on the Center’s blog.

Requirements and Information on How to Apply for a Summer Grant

You must be a UNC law student or graduate student to apply. You will need to download the application form and send it directly to us at medialaw [at] unc.edu along with the other supporting material described below. Please put “Summer Grant Application” in the subject. The deadline for applying for a summer grant is April 24, 2020.

Law students who applied through the law school’s Summer Public Interest Grant Program are also eligible for a Center grant. You do not need to apply to the Center separately. 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 Center funds in addition to the law school grant.

Applications will be evaluated based on (a) your demonstrated commitment to working in the areas of media law or policy and (b) the quality of your essays (each essay should 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 how they relate to media law or media policy.
  • 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 these Tips for Writing a Strong Grant Application. You will be notified of a decision in April.

0

Transparency in the Time of COVID-19

By on March 18, 2020 in Transparency

Amanda Martin, general counsel to the N.C. Press Association and a lawyer at Stevens Martin Vaughn & Tadych, PLLC, has graciously allowed me to post this information that she recently shared with her clients through her newsletter, FIRST FOR A REASON: Info & Ideas About the First Amendment & Media Law.  If you would like to sign up for her newsletter just email First@smvt.com with “subscribe” in the subject line. You can also follow her on Twitter @ncmedialaw.

TRANSPARENCY IN THE TIME OF COVID-19

I want to begin with my gratitude for the vital and hard work that you all have been doing to report on the coronavirus crisis. Personally, I check five or six news websites about every hour to see what has developed, what has changed. I know I am not alone. On behalf of all your readers and viewers, thank you!

It has become apparent that in the coming weeks and months, government operations are going to be disrupted beyond recognition, making your job harder at the very time that it is more important. You’ll find here a few reminders I hope will be useful, as well as links to some government resources that might be helpful.

First, UNC’s School of Government Professor Frayda Bluestein reminds, there is nothing about the Governor’s state of emergency declaration that relieves public officials and public agencies of their obligations under North Carolina open government laws. Neither the Governor nor local officials can wipe away those requirements.

Second, a quick refresher on the Open Meetings Law. Remember, the OML applies to quorums of public agencies. At its core, the OML requires three things: notice, access and minutes.

NOTICE

  • Notice for non-emergency, special meetings must be given at least 48 hours in advance of a meeting. To get individual notice, though, you must be on the notice list. If you haven’t done so already, ask to be on that list for any public body you cover (including committees and subcommittees). Public bodies can require you to renew your request annually, so just be sure.
  • It’s fairly easy to imagine there will be lots of emergency meetings in the future. The law for emergency meetings doesn’t have any specific time requirement. They can be called with short notice, and again, notice must be provided to anyone on the notice list.

ACCESS

  • Access means reasonable access. Imagine the Buncombe County Board of Education decides they will discuss at their next meeting canceling school for the balance of the year. And imagine everyone in Buncombe County wants to attend. They won’t all fit in the meeting room, and our Court of Appeals has ruled that the board doesn’t have to find a big enough room (or coliseum). Rather, agencies must provide access for a reasonable number of people. What is reasonable may be seen through the lens of health department guidance on how many people can gather together, but surely allowing some of the public must be required.
  • The OML provides for at least some public bodies to meet electronically. Professor Frayda Bluestein has written that there is no express statutory authorization for local governmental bodies to meet by phone or other electronic communications and that it’s questionable whether they can. But if they do, the law is clear that the public must be given a means to listen in. Bodies must provide “a location and means whereby members of the public may listen to the meeting and the notice of the meeting required by this Article shall specify that location.” G.S. § 143-318.13(a). The law allows charging a fee of $25.00 per listener, though Professor Bluestein has recommended that agencies waive that fee.

MINUTES

  • The OML requires that minutes be kept for all meetings. And for closed meetings, there must be a record “so that a person not in attendance would have a reasonable understanding of what transpired.” G.S. § 143-318.10(e).
  • There is no provision in the law requiring a recording of meetings – audio or video – but urging such recordings might be one way to mitigate the lack of transparency that might lessened access that results from this emergency.

Remember to use the Open Meetings Law and Public Records Law in concert with one another. If you are not able to be present at a meeting – either because it was closed to the public or because you’re covering developing news over at the hospital – remember that likely there are associated public records that might be instructive. In addition to asking for agendas and meeting packets, ask for memos, emails or other documents exchanged in advance of (or after) the meeting. Ask for notes taken by public officials at the meeting, too.

UNC’s School of Government has several resources detailed analyses, including these:

Stay tuned for updates on the issue of court access in light of Chief Justice Beasley’s order closing most courts. To see Chief Justice Beasley’s COVIC press conference and for official updates on the courts, including memos and court orders, go to

https://www.nccourts.gov/covid-19-coronavirus-updates

Finally, as one reporter said just last week when we were discussing COVID-19, these laws set minimums for transparency. Our job always is to push for as much access and as much information as possible. That’s how we can best serve the public who are relying on us to collect, digest and report information in these incomprehensible times.

Email us with feedback, questions, or topics that interest you: First@smvt.com

If you know someone else who might be interested in information like this, please forward this email so they can sign up by emailing First@smvt.com with “subscribe” in the subject line.

0

Cleary Student Paper Competition Honors Attorney James Cleary, a Passionate Supporter of Journalism

By on February 27, 2020 in Center for Media Law and Policy

This year marks the second year of the UNC Center for Media Law and Policy’s James R. Cleary Student Paper Competition. Cash prizes are awarded to the student authors of published papers that most creatively and convincingly propose solutions to significant problems in the field of media law and policy, including First Amendment speech and press issues.

The competition was made possible by James Cleary’s daughter, Dr. Johanna Cleary, a Ph.D. graduate of the UNC Hussman School of Journalism Media and a former Park Fellow. Kriste Patrow, a UNC Ph.D. candidate in the School, asked Dr. Cleary about her Dad and his legacy.

Q: So, can you start by telling me a little bit about the work your father did?

Cleary: Well, my Dad was in a general practice most of his life, but he always had a great interest in and passion for the media. In fact, the way he paid his way through his undergraduate degree and a lot of his law school expenses was by working in radio.

Dad, as a teenager, began working as a radio announcer in the 1940s. He worked at some smaller stations in Alabama and then a featured spot on one of the major stations in Birmingham, Alabama. His radio show, at the time he was doing it, was actually the number-one rated program in the country. He was part of a group that put the first television station on the air in Huntsville, Alabama, which was very much a growing city at the time. And he also was part of a partnership that put together the second newspaper in Huntsville.

So, he had this great love for media and a great interest in it. He also understood the importance of law to our society, and so he ultimately went on to law school and was a practicing attorney for about 56 years.

Q: What kind of work did he do as an attorney?

Cleary: Well, because my Dad was in a general practice, his media specific work was geographically determined.  Basically he was admitted to the group that could practice before the Federal Communications Commission. He did a lot of the legal work in terms of setting up the ownership for those stations, which is a pretty complicated process. So, from a very hands-on standpoint he was very committed to the importance of the media, and I think philosophically, the importance of the media to democracy. I think Dad really did believe in the Fourth Estate — that there is an important role in the press to play in preserving a democracy for us.

Q: So, he believed in the media’s role as a watchdog on government?

Cleary: The important thing that my father really believed in was an informed and educated population – the idea Aristotle had that informed people can make good decisions for themselves. That being informed just doesn’t happen by magic. There is a lot of work that goes into that: Work both on the part of the media and the part of the public, the consuming public.

Q: Can you tell me a bit about what inspired you to donate to the UNC Center for Media Law and Policy in particular?

Cleary: I am a product of the doctoral program there, and I was very fortunate to receive one of the Park Fellowships. So, I was very grateful to the School and to the Park family for having that opportunity. I could have gone to any number of different initiatives, but I knew the national reputation of the media law program there. I knew the individuals involved with the Center’s leadership there and certainly have the highest of opinions of them.

The Center was kind of getting up and running really at the time that my Dad visited UNC when I graduated. So, he had an idea of the quality of the program there. I think he highly approved of what was being done there and where they were going.

The importance of the press to our democracy just can’t be overstated and neither can the role that media law plays in making sure that stays the case. I mean, this isn’t just something that happens by luck and chance.

So, it was a collection of a lot of things. It just seemed to be the perfect match. I’m very pleased that they had the idea of creating this award in honor of my father. That’s very meaningful.

Q: What are your hopes for the Cleary Award moving forward?

Cleary:  That’s a good question. I think people are looking toward the emerging scholars to say “Where do we go? What are the things we need to know? What are the rules that we need to come up with? Where do we leave it alone? Where do we need to roll up our sleeves and get involved?” This time, more so than any I remember, students have the opportunity to shape the future. My hope for the award is that it will recognize the impact that student scholars are already having and encourage the potential they have to shape, certainly the media field, but really our democracy to a large extent.

0

Tackling Race, Journalism and Viral Images in “Confederates”

By on February 5, 2020 in Center for Media Law and Policy, Journalism

“I think that people in this country – the people of good will, anyway – are aching for a real conversation about these very questions and I think maybe we can help them, you and I.”

So says Will, the main character and young black journalist of Suzanne Bradbeer’s award-winning play, CONFEDERATES, to his friend and source, Maddie, after she shares with him a controversial photo of her with a Confederate flag. In this gripping one-act play, Will tries to persuade Maddie, the white daughter of a presidential candidate, that he can be trusted to tell the story of her soon-to-be viral photo, released in an act of revenge by Maddie’s former boyfriend.

On Friday, Jan. 31, the UNC Center for Media Law and Policy, the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media, the UNC Department of Dramatic Art and PlayMakers hosted a reading of CONFEDERATES for about 50 guests in the Freedom Forum Conference Center, including students, faculty, friends of PlayMakers, and the playwright, Suzanne Bradbeer. The play was followed by a panel discussion about the themes in the play with Bradbeer, News & Observer political reporter Will Doran and senior journalism major Elliott Millner.

For the Center, the play was an amazing moment to explore a whole host of ethical and potential legal challenges faced by today’s journalists: how to handle sources we know; how to work in a field that faces tremendous financial pressures; how we talk or don’t talk about race in our work; how “cancel culture” derails conversations about our partisan times; and how the release of controversial images online can wreck lives, encourage death threats, and spark lawsuits.

The conversations were immeasurably bolstered by the performances of Vivienne Benesch, PlayMakers’ artistic director (Stephanie); Brandon Herman St. Clair Haynes from UNC’s Professional Actors Training Program (Will); and Tori Jewell from UNC’s Professional Actors Training Program (Maddie). The reading was produced by Alejandro Rodriguez, PlayMakers’ associate artistic director, and directed by New Jersey actor and director Laura Ekstrand.

The panel discussion that followed addressed how the Internet continues to change the way we work as journalists. The panelists tackled the challenges of writing about race and racial tensions in this moment, as well as the delicate “grey area” of dealing with sources we know.

The evening was a reminder of the power of theater to encourage conversations that are often difficult to have and bring big issues to the personal level, where we can feel them as well as think about them.

(Photos by Lois Boynton)

0

The James R. Cleary Prize for Student Media Law and Policy Research 2019 Competition

By on January 12, 2020 in Center for Media Law and Policy

The UNC Center for Media Law and Policy is now accepting submissions for the James R. Cleary Prize.  The annual award competition, which highlights the best student-authored scholarly articles on media law and policy related topics, honors the legacy of James R. Cleary, an attorney who practiced for 56 years in Huntsville, Ala.  He was particularly interested in the communications field and media law issues.  Cleary’s daughter, Johanna Cleary, is a 2004 Ph.D. graduate of the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media.

You can read about last year’s winners, Austin Vining, a joint JD/Ph.D. student at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and College of Journalism and Communications, and Alexandra Baruch Bachman, from the University of North Carolina School of Law, here.

The prize competition is open to all college and university students. Up to three winners will be selected, with a first prize of $1,000, a second prize of $500, and a third prize of $250. The prizes will be awarded to the authors of published papers that most creatively and convincingly propose solutions to significant problems in the field of media law and policy, including First Amendment speech and press issues. All methodologies are welcome.

The new deadline for submission is April 15, 2020.

Rules

  1. The author of the submitted publication must have been enrolled in a graduate or undergraduate degree-granting program in the United States at the time the article was accepted for publication. This includes, but is not limited to, students enrolled in M.A. and Ph.D. programs, law school (including J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. candidates), and other professional schools (including M.B.A. candidates).
  2. The submitted paper must have been published in a law review or peer-reviewed journal during the 2019 calendar year.
  3. Each student may submit only one entry.
  4. Jointly authored papers are eligible, provided all authors meet the eligibility requirements for the competition. If a winning paper has more than one author, the prize will be split equally among the co-authors. No work with a faculty co-author will be considered.
  5. Each entry must be the original work of the listed author(s). The author(s) must perform all of the key tasks of identifying the topic, researching it, analyzing it, formulating positions and arguments, and writing and revising the paper.
  6. Papers will be evaluated based on a number of factors, including thoroughness of research and analysis, relevance to the competition topic, relevance to current legal and/ or public policy debates, originality of thought, and clarity of expression.
  7. The prize will be monetary. Winners will be required to submit a completed W-9, affidavit of eligibility, tax acknowledgment and liability release for tax purposes as a condition of receiving the cash prize.
  8. In the unlikely event that entries are of insufficient quality to merit an award, the Center for Media Law and Policy reserves the right not to award some or all of the prizes.

Submission Process

  • All entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. EST on March 15, 2020.
  • Entries must be sent via email to medialaw[at]unc.edu with the following in the subject line: “James R. Cleary Prize Submission: [Name of Author]”
  • Papers should be submitted in Portable Document Format (.pdf).
  • Entries MUST include a signed cover sheet that may be downloaded from the Center for Media Law Policy’s website here.

A review committee comprised of faculty and affiliates from the UNC Center for Media Law and Policy will review the submissions and determine the winning paper(s). The decisions of the committee are final. Winners will be notified and final results will appear on the Center’s website in late spring. Due to the large number of expected entries, the Center cannot contact all non-winning entrants.

For more information, please visit our Cleary Competition page. Submit your research to win this award!

0