Archive | Center for Media Law and Policy

Content related to the Center for Media Law and Policy’s activities and people.

UNC Students attend NCPA Dinner with NC Supreme Court Justices

By on March 6, 2018 in Center for Media Law and Policy

UNC students with Senior Associate Justice Paul Martin Newby at the 2018 NCPA dinner.

On Feb. 21, the UNC Center for Media Law co-sponsored the North Carolina Press Association’s (“NCPA”) annual dinner with the North Carolina Supreme Court. The dinner is a staple of the NCPA’s annual convention. One of the goals of the dinner is to offer students a chance to mingle and dine with members of the NCPA Board of Directors and the justices on the North Carolina Supreme Court.

Nearly a dozen Carolina students attended the dinner. Each of the students was placed at a table with a Supreme Court Justice (six of whom attended) and several members of the NCPA. During dinner, the tables were given a list of discussion questions that addressed current issues regarding media access and the courts.

Kyla Wagner, a UNC doctoral student, poses a question to the panel of NC Supreme Court Justices.

The students made wonderful contributions to the conversations thanks to their unique perspective as young lawyers, scholars and journalists who work with the industry and the legal system. The result of each discussion was presented by a student representative from each table.

In addition to the dinner discussions, the students were given the opportunity to ask questions of the justices in an informative panel. The entire event served as a wonderful opportunity for the students to interact with and learn from the justices and NCPA board members.

Many thanks to the NCPA for inviting our students to this event!

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Exciting opportunities on our Media Law Jobs Board

By on February 26, 2018 in Center for Media Law and Policy

We are happy to announce that the UNC Center for Media Law and Policy’s Jobs Board is back and better than ever! Our Jobs Board serves as a centralized place to find opportunities (for students and practitioners alike) to work in the ever-widening field of media law and policy. Thanks to our large network of media law companies, scholars, and programs, we end up hearing about job opportunities all over the world. The Jobs Board is searchable by location, keyword, or practice area. In addition, you can browse jobs by type, such as  internships, fellowships, full-time positions, or academic teaching positions, including Academic – Journalism and Academic – Law.

There are some incredible jobs currently listed on our website. Some recent postings include:

  • Director of Data Science & Analytics at ACLU: Director of Data Science & Analytics is responsible for leading an in-house Data Science team and championing a data-driven strategy to help the nationwide ACLU organization reach its programmatic goals and support its advocacy, fundraising and communications initiatives. This full-time position includes but is not limited to realizing the data needs of the organizations, working with engineering to build an infrastructure to support data needs, identifying and monitoring key initiatives through a robust data platform, using data-driven techniques to foster new innovation within the ACLU and ensuring alignment across teams based on their individual data needs. Applications are accepted until the position is filled.
  • Summer Internships at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society: Each summer the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University swings open the doors of our vibrant yellow house to welcome a group of talented and curious students as full-time interns who are passionate about the promise of the Internet. Applicants who are interested in studying various aspects of Internet law and policy should apply for these prestigious internships by February 28, 2018.
  • International Relations Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship at Tufts University: Tufts University is initiating a program in cyber security and policy that will combine the efforts of the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy and the School of Engineering, Department of Computer Science. The University is seeking a post-doctoral research fellow to examine the policy and organizational oversight needed to trust Internet security technologies. This research involves comparative analysis of competing structures for developing standards and guidelines in telecommunications security. The research will involve analyzing international response to the development of cybersecurity and cryptographic standards by private-sector organizations, industry, and government research labs.
  • Summer Legal Internships at Paramount Pictures: Paramount Pictures seeks legal interns for the summer of 2018. The Paramount Legal Internship provides law students with visibility into the business affairs and legal areas of the company, including marketing, motion pictures, intellectual property, and home media. Applications are accepted until February 28, 2018.
  • Technology Law and Policy Fellow at Wikimedia: The Wikimedia Foundation is looking for a Technology Law and Policy Fellow to support its Legal Team in advancing laws and public policy that promotes free knowledge. The Technology Law and Policy Fellow position is designed for a lawyer or other individual who typically has up to 2 years of legal or public policy experience and is passionate about free knowledge and open source issues. This position provides an immersive in-house experience with specific education and training in the areas of Internet regulation and technology law and the operations of the Wikimedia Foundation.
  • Attorney position at MIT/BU Technology & Cyberlaw Clinic: Boston University School of Law is seeking to hire a full-time technology attorney in its Technology & Cyberlaw Clinic. The Clinic represents current students at MIT and BU on matters related to their innovative academic and extracurricular work, in the areas of intellectual property, computer access laws, data privacy and security law, media law and the First Amendment, and relevant areas of regulatory compliance. The attorney would be expected to help law students counsel clients and represent students in pre-litigation and transactional settings, and possibly also in some litigation matters, including response to cease-and-desist letters and other legal threats. The attorney’s primary responsibility will be to supervise and assist students with direct client representation matters and research. The attorney will also assist the Clinic Director in preparing and teaching a year-long seminar for students enrolled in the Clinic, including developing materials, performing research, and coordinating classroom activities and guest presentations.

These are just a few of the exciting job opportunities on the Center’s Jobs Board. Be sure to check the Jobs Board often for the latest updates and media law job postings!

 

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New Resources: Affiliate Scholars Research Repository & Social Sciences Resources Page

By on February 13, 2018 in Center for Media Law and Policy

We are fortunate to have a number of great scholars affiliated with the Center of Media Law and Policy that hail from the UNC School of Law, the UNC School of Media and Journalism, and the UNC School of Information and Library Science. We are pleased to announce that we have made their work more accessible to the public through a helpful addition on our website!

The updated Media Law Resources page has links to a repository of publications penned by our affiliated faculty. The repository is broken down based on topic and provides links to the each article’s full-text version or abstract. Most articles are available for download.

Works on the following media law topics have been included:

In addition, we have compiled a list of social science resources for those interested in the intersection of law and policy. This list provides links to online libraries and other resource sites that offer publications, reports, or other resources for social science research.

We hope the repository and resource list assists researchers and students alike as they conduct studies on media law and policy. If you have any questions about these new resources, please contact our research fellow, Rachael Jones, at rachael_jones@unc.edu.

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Center Hosts CLE Sessions at the UNC Festival of Legal Learning

By on February 6, 2018 in Center for Media Law and Policy

Each year, the UNC Festival of Legal Learning provides CLE credit in over 120 areas. The Festival allows attorneys to obtain 12 hours of CLE credit through a convenient and fun schedule spread over two days.  This year’s Festival will take place on Friday, February 9, and Saturday, February 10, at the William & Ida Friday Continuing Education Center in Chapel Hill.

We are thrilled to invite those participating in the Festival to attend the sessions on media law and policy, which are sponsored by the Center for Media Law and Policy. The sessions will be presented by the following attorneys:

  • David S. Ardia, Associate Professor of Law and Co-Director of the UNC Center for Media Law and Policy;
  • Mary-Rose Papandrea, Judge John J. Parker Distinguished Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the UNC School of Law;
  • Julia C. Ambrose, Attorney at Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard;
  • Elizabeth A. DeVos, Attorney at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough;
  • C. Amanda Martin, Attorney at Stevens Martin Vaughn & Tadych and General Counsel to the N.C. Press Association;
  • Timothy G. Nelson, Attorney at Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard;
  • Dowse B. Rustin IV, Attorney at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough.

Sessions addressing media law topics include:

Friday
Beyond Credit Scores: The Promise and Risk of Alternative DataElizabeth A. DeVos, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, and Dowse B. Rustin IV, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
The Law of LeaksMary-Rose Papandrea, Judge John J. Parker Distinguished Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, UNC School of Law11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Saturday
Recent Developments at the Federal Communications CommissionJulia C. Ambrose, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard and Timothy G. Nelson, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
The Law of Defamation: A PrimerC. Amanda Martin, Stevens Martin Vaughn & Tadych9:10 AM - 10:10 AM
Privacy and Court Records: What Does the First Amendment Require Regarding Online Access?David S. Ardia, Associate Professor of Law and Co-Director, Center for Media Law and Policy, UNC School of Law10:20 AM - 11:20 AM
Freedom of the Press and the Trump AdministrationDavid S. Ardia, Assistant Professor of Law and Co-Director, Center for Media Law and Policy; C. Amanda Martin, Stevens Martin Vaughn & Tadych; and Mary-Rose Papandrea, Judge John J. Parker Distinguished Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, UNC School of Law11:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Sessions will run from 8:00 a.m.—6:00 p.m. on Friday and 8:00 a.m.—12:30 p.m. on Saturday. For a full list of available sessions, visit the Festival’s program guide. To register for the Festival, please visit the registration page.

We hope to see you there!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Workshop on Police Body-Worn Cameras a Success

By on November 14, 2017 in Center for Media Law and Policy, Privacy, Transparency

Frayda Bluestein from the UNC School of Government leads a discussion during the second plenary session.

Many law enforcement agencies across the country have implemented or are considering body-worn camera (“BWC”) programs as a means to improve policing and promote transparency. Despite the ubiquity of these programs, issues surrounding the use of such cameras continue to arise. While public debate has largely focused on the tension between police accountability and privacy, little work has been done to address the practical needs of law enforcement and the media, particularly the retention, redaction and release of BWC video to the public.

To address this deficiency, the UNC Center for Media Law and Policy convened an invitation-only workshop last weekend. The workshop was a supplement to the North Carolina Law Review’s 2017 symposium “Badgecams as Data and Deterrent: Law Enforcement, the Public, and the Press in the Age of Digital Video.” It was organized to address the practical issues associated with the implementation of police body-worn camera systems, with the goals of ascertaining areas of agreement, identifying issues that would benefit from research, and developing best practices for police departments and the media.

We had a great group of experts in attendance, all with varying perspectives on BWCs. The group consisted of experts on law enforcement, news gathering, privacy, and public access, including seven police officers, two North Carolina Representatives, five attorneys, multiple access and reform advocates, and a dozen academics from across the country.

The workshop was structured to promote open and honest discussion among the attendees and was comprised of two plenary sessions with smaller breakout working groups. In the plenary sessions, the participants identified the major issues surrounding BWC usage based on a lifecycle framework developed by UNC School of Law professor Richard Myers. Attendees then narrowed the list of potential topics to four main areas of interest — creation, access, use, and privacy — that were the subject of the breakout sessions.

Adam Marshall from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press facilitates a breakout session on public access to BWC videos.

Not surprisingly, the breakout sessions did not produce many points of consensus. Nevertheless, we thought the workshop was a success. Indeed, it is rare for privacy advocates, policymakers, and law enforcement sit down together and talk about issues surrounding the use of BWC systems. The workshop allowed participants to hear from those working with BWC on the frontlines and to identify gaps in resources, research, and policy. We hope that the connections made and the conversations that started at the workshop will prove to be beneficial for everyone who came.

We are currently drafting a white paper that will describe in greater the detail the issues that were raised at the workshop. The Center is thankful for all of those who participated, and we look forward to continuing the conversation!

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