Addressing the Decline of Local News, Rise of Platforms, and Spread of Mis- and Disinformation Online: A Summary of Current Research and Policy Proposals (1/15/2021) - I’m thrilled to announce that the Center for Media Law and Policy recently published a research paper titled “Addressing the Decline of Local News, Rise of Platforms, and Spread of Mis- and Disinformation Online: A Summary of Current Research and Policy Proposals.” The whitepaper grew out of a workshop the Center hosted in November 2019 […]
First Amendment Resources for Journalists (6/3/2020) - With civil unrest occurring across the country, the First Amendment Legal Network (FELN), of which we are a part, is sharing a few resources for media covering these events. Attorneys at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP) are also monitoring its legal hotline for journalists, in case reporters have questions about their legal rights […]
Tackling Race, Journalism and Viral Images in “Confederates” (2/5/2020) - “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 […]
A Dual-Degree Student’s Summer Experience at NPR (3/15/2019) - From Mariam Turner, a fourth-year dual degree student at UNC pursuing a JD and an MA in Mass Communication, who interned at National Public Radio: This past summer, I had the opportunity to work at NPR in the Office of the General Counsel as the Copyright Legal Intern. NPR is a nonprofit public media organization, […]
Police Body-Worn Cameras: Time to Roll Up Our Sleeves and Study the Issues (11/2/2017) - We are excited for the North Carolina Law Review’s symposium this Friday on “Badge Cams as Data and Deterrent: Law Enforcement, the Public and the Press in the Age of Digital Video.” The symposium will consider the legal and practical issues surrounding the use of police body-worn cameras (BWCs). Many of the nation’s leading experts […]Center Co-Director’s First Amendment Day Remarks Published in the News and Observer (9/29/2017) - One of the highlights of First Amendment Day this year was the morning keynote address by Center for Media Law and Policy Co-Director Cathy Packer. Dr. Packer set the tone for the day, reminding us all of the importance of free expression and how vital it is that we continue to protect it. Today, The […]
Now Hiring: Join Us at the UNC Center for Media Law & Policy (9/17/2017) - Those who follow First Amendment law know that we are in a critical moment in its history. We need more people on the front lines researching media law and its impact. We are pleased to announce that the School of Media and Journalism at UNC is searching for an outstanding assistant or associate professor to […]
UNC Media Law Doctoral Student Wins Top Paper Award for NCA 2017 (9/14/2017) - We are pleased to announce that UNC doctoral student Shao Chengyuan has won the top student paper award from the Communication and Law Division of the National Communication Association (NCA) this year. Chengyuan will present her paper at the NCA’s annual conference in Dallas, Texas in November. Congratulations, Shao! Chengyuan studies media law in the UNC School […]
UNC Media Law Student Part of Winning Research Group (8/30/2017) - UNC media law student Mariam Turner is among a group of faculty and graduate students who have won a $10,000 research award from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications’ Mass Communication and Society Division. The award, which was announced over the summer, was given to Dr. Daniel Riffe and Dr. Adam Saffer […]
Welcome Our New Research Fellow, Rachael Jones (8/23/2017) - The UNC Center for Media Law and Policy is proud to announce that it has hired its first research fellow, Rachael Jones. Rachael, who started this week, will oversee the Center’s research initiatives, with a particular focus on government transparency. Prior to joining the Center, Rachael served as the Jack Nelson/Dow Jones Legal Fellow at […]
Video Available for “Freedom of the Press and the Trump Administration” (4/2/2017) - The video from the Center’s discussion of “Freedom of the Press and the Trump Administration” is now available on Vimeo. The March 21 event was headlined by George Freeman, executive director of the Media Law Resource Center and former assistant general counsel of the New York Times Co., who discussed the challenges to press freedom that are likely to […]
Graduating Media Law Ph.D. Student Lands Faculty Position at LSU (2/28/2017) - UNC media law Ph.D. student Brooks Fuller will begin work as an assistant professor in the Manship School of Communication at Louisiana State University in the fall. Brooks will teach classes in media law, ethics, and First Amendment issues. Brooks will graduate from the Ph.D. program in the UNC School of Media and Journalism in […]
Summer Grants for UNC Law and Graduate Students Interested in Media Law and Policy (2/21/2017) - Are 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 New York, Washington, or Los Angeles because it’s just too expensive to live there. Well, the Center for Media Law and Policy is here to help. For the […]Dual-Degree Student Wins ACLU Award (1/23/2017) - Chanda Marlowe, a fourth-year student in Carolina’s dual-degree program, recently was awarded the ACLU of Northern California’s 2016 Paine Award. The Paine Award is given annually to an “especially deserving” summer intern who demonstrates a commitment to public interest work. The Paine Award is named for Robert Paine, who passed away just as he was […]
Center to Hire Media Law and Policy Fellow (11/1/2016) - I’m excited to announce that the Center will be hiring a Media Law and Policy Fellow! The fellow will play a critical role in supporting a major research initiative at the Center focused on examining various legal and policy issues related to improving government transparency, including the impact government transparency can have on privacy, cybersecurity, equality, and other […]
Congratulations, #uncfree Instagram Contest Winner Christine Bang (10/31/2016) - UNC student Christine Bang is the winner of the 2016 #uncfree Instagram Contest. The contest was part of Carolina’s eighth-annual First Amendment Day celebration, which is designed to both celebrate the First Amendment and explore its role in the lives of Carolina students. Anyone who filled out an “I believe in the First Amendment because…” mini […]
Meeting Nina Totenberg (9/28/2016) - Senior NPR legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg did not begin her 50-year career in broadcast journalism thinking she would cover the Supreme Court. But in the early 1970s, Totenberg, then with the National Observer, was assigned to cover the highest court in the land and she has been the go-to source for goings-on at SCOTUS […]
Hartzog becomes Starnes Professor of Law (9/21/2016) - Woodrow “Woody” Hartzog, a Ph.D. graduate of the UNC School of Media and Journalism, will become the Starnes Professor of Law in a ceremony at the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in Alabama next week. Congratulations, Woody!! Woody graduated from UNC in 2011 as that year’s outstanding Ph.D. graduate. He quickly became one […]
Dual-Degree Student Spent Summer on the First Amendment Frontier (9/6/2016) - I spent my summer interning in the legal department at the ACLU of Washington State in Seattle, one of the largest ACLU affiliate offices in the country. At the ACLU-WA, I worked on a variety of projects related to First Amendment and other civil liberties issues. On the First Amendment frontier, my last assignment at […]
UNC Media Law Students to Present Research in Minneapolis (6/3/2016) - Four UNC School of Media and Journalism graduate students will present media law research papers at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication’s (AEJMC) national convention in Minneapolis Aug. 4-7. One of those students – Lindsie Trego – won a prize for writing the third best student paper in the Law and Policy […]
Dual Degree Student Lands Privacy Job in Washington (5/1/2016) - Natasha Duarte, a fourth-year student in Carolina’s dual-degree program, will graduate with a J.D. and a master’s in Mass Communication this week. At graduation she will be honored as the outstanding master’s graduate in the School of Media and Journalism. Last month, Natasha successfully defended her thesis, in which she examined law enforcement’s use of […]
Student Reports on Free Speech Conference (4/25/2016) - In early April, I participated in a “Free Speech on Campus” conference in Washington, D.C., hosted by the Newseum Institute and co-sponsored by the Knight Foundation. There, 41 students from across the country exchanged thoughts about the importance of protecting free expression on college campuses while also dealing positively with the very real issues of […]Recent media law grad publishes in legal journal (4/18/2016) - UNC media law graduate Kevin Delaney has had a shortened version of his master’s thesis published in Rutgers Computer and Technology Law Journal. The article is “Aereo, the Public Performance Right, and the Future of Broadcasting.” The article looks at Aereo, a company that offered an inexpensive way for consumers to watch broadcast television via the […]
Media law student selected to attend “Free Speech on Campus” conference (3/23/2016) - UNC media law student Chanda Marlowe has been selected to attend a one-day conference on “Free Speech on Campus” in Washington, D.C., on April 2, 2016. Forty students were selected. The conference, sponsored by the Newseum Institute and the Knight Foundation, will provide an opportunity for students to discuss the challenges to free expression on […] Public Interest Summer Grants for UNC Law and Graduate Students (3/5/2016) - Each year, the UNC School of Law provides 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 by generous donors, law school funds allocated by the Dean, and student organizations that fundraise to support […]
UNC Students to Present Media Law Research at AEJMC Conference (2/8/2016) - UNC graduate students will present half of all the papers accepted for presentation in the Law and Policy Division at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication’s (AEJMC) Southeast Colloquium in Baton Rouge, La., next month. Third-year Ph.D. student Brooks Fuller won the prize for the top student paper. Congratulations! The papers went […]
Faculty Affiliates Support Center’s Work (1/19/2016) - The UNC Center for Media Law and Policy is enjoying the support of 13 new faculty affiliates this year. The affiliates are scholars from across the UNC campus who are interested in the interdisciplinary exploration of issues related to media law and policy. Faculty affiliates play an active role in the life of the Center […] Center Receives $150,000 Grant (1/12/2016) - The UNC Center for Media Law and Policy is pleased to announce it has received a $150,000 grant from the Hearst Foundations. The money will be spent over three years to expand the Center’s schedule of public events and its research activities. This is the third grant the Center has received from Hearst. The Hearst […]
Make the Most of Your Winter Break (12/7/2015) - Whether you are seeking a summer internship or post-graduate employment, the winter break provides a great opportunity for you to further your job search. If you are interested in media law, the UNC Center for Media Law and Policy’s Job Center is the place to start. It’s easy to use. You can browse by job type or category, […]
Required Drone Registration Coming (11/16/2015) - Drone owners will be required to register their aircraft with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) soon. The FAA’s drone registration task force is expected to finalize its recommendations for drone registration guidelines by Friday, November 20, 2015. The FAA announced the creation of the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Registration Task Force on October 29, and […]
UNC J-School Professor Authors Book on Hot News in the Age of Big Data (11/16/2015) - Dr. Victoria “Tori” Smith Ekstrand, the director of communications for the UNC Center for Media Law and Policy, has recently published a book, Hot News in the Age of Big Data: A Legal History of the Hot News Doctrine and Implications for the Digital Age (LFB Scholarly). Ekstrand is an expert on the hot news doctrine, a part […]
Meet Maria Mullis, the Winner of Our #uncfree Instagram Contest (11/7/2015) - UNC student Maria Mullis is the winner of the 2015 #uncfree Instagram Contest. The contest was part of Carolina’s seventh-annual First Amendment Day celebration, which is designed to both celebrate the First Amendment and explore its role in the lives of Carolina students. Anyone who filled out an “I believe in the First Amendment because…” mini […]
Media Law Center Welcomes Prof. Papandrea and a new Ph.D. Student (8/24/2015) - A senior scholar and a new Ph.D. student have joined UNC’s community of media law scholars. The Center for Media Law and Policy is happy to welcome Professor Mary-Rose Papandrea and Ph.D. student Shao Chengyuan. Mary-Rose Papandrea came to the UNC School of Law this summer from Boston College Law School. Her teaching and research […] UNC Media Law Students, Faculty Present Research in San Francisco (8/3/2015) - The UNC Center for Media Law and Policy’s director of communications and three graduate students are presenting research papers in the Law and Policy Division at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication’s (AEJMC) national convention in San Francisco this week. One of those students also had a media law paper accepted in […]Media Law Student Works at NC COA and the Volvo Group (7/29/2015) - This is the third in a series of posts by UNC media law students reporting on their summer internships. I spent the first half of my summer working at the North Carolina Court of Appeals as a judicial intern for the Honorable Judge Wanda Bryant. This job was a perfect fit for me as a […]
Center Staffer Celebrates 25th Anniversary of the ADA with Article in Slate (7/22/2015) - Tori Ekstrand, the communications director for the UNC Center for Media Law and Policy, celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act by publishing an article about web accessibility in Slate today. In her article, she argues that, contrary to what FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly recently said, Internet access is a necessity. It […]
UNC Student Publishes in North Carolina Law Review (7/20/2015) - UNC media law student Natasha Duarte has had an article published in the North Carolina Law Review. The article is “The Home Out of Context: The Post-Riley Fourth Amendment and Law Enforcement Collection of Smart Meter Data,” 93 N.C. L. Rev. 1140 (2015). The article says, in part, “Smart meters know when you’re sleeping. They […]
Media Law Student Working for FIRE in Philadelphia (7/13/2015) - This is the second of a series of posts by UNC media law students reporting on their summer internships: I’m nearing the end of my summer working as a legal intern at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), a non-profit watchdog protecting freedom of expression and other civil liberties on college campuses. As […]
Media Law Student Working for ACLU in New York City (7/6/2015) - This is the first in a series of posts by UNC media law students reporting on their summer internships: I work with the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology (“SPT”) Project in New York City on all kinds of digital speech and privacy issues. On the privacy side, I’ve helped with SPT’s efforts to protect against […]
Media Law Student to Intern with Comcast (4/27/2015) - Media law student Nick Gross will be a public policy intern for Comcast Corp. in Washington, D.C., this summer. Congratulations, Nick! Nick is a first-year Ph.D. student in the UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication and a graduate assistant assigned to the UNC Center for Media Law and Policy. Nick has a J.D. from […]
Judge Thokozile Masipa visits UNC (4/13/2015) - On Tuesday, April 7, I had an opportunity to speak with the Honorable Thokozile Matilda Masipa, a judge in the Gauteng Division of the High Court of South Africa. Many know her as the judge who presided over the high profile Oscar Pistorius murder trial, but it’s the story of how she overcame seemingly insurmountable […]
UNC Student Wins McCormick Foundation Legal Fellowship (4/10/2015) - UNC media law student Kevin Delaney has been awarded the McCormick Foundation Legal Fellowship for next year by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press in Washington, D.C. He will draft appellate amicus briefs in significant cases involving First Amendment/media law issues, primary cases concerning access to court records and proceedings. The fellowship is […]
FAA Releases Proposed Drone Regulations; North Carolina Proposes Exemption for Government Agencies (4/5/2015) - On Feb. 15, 2015, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released proposed regulations for the use of drones. The proposal requires UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System(s)) pilots to be at least 17 years old, to take an initial aeronautical knowledge test followed by a new test every 24 months, and to pass a TSA screening. The FAA […]
UNC Faculty and Students Excel at Media Law Conference (3/27/2015) - The UNC Center for Media Law and Policy’s new director of communications and six graduate students are presenting research papers in the Law and Policy Division at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication’s (AEJMC) Southeast Colloquium in Knoxville, Tenn., this week. Kevin Delaney, who is in the final year of UNC’s dual-degree […]
Tori Ekstrand Named Director of Communications at Center for Media Law and Policy (2/19/2015) - Victoria (Tori) Ekstrand, a Carolina faculty member who teaches and researches media law and has 11 years of public relations experience, has been named director of communications for the UNC Center for Media Law and Policy. Tori is an assistant professor in the UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication and has been working with […]
Job opportunities in media law at your fingertips (2/16/2015) - It’s never too early – or too late – to start looking for the internship, fellowship, or job that is right for you. However, the process of sifting through hundreds of postings looking for what you want can be daunting. That is why the UNC Center for Media Law and Policy created its Job Center. […]
Law students give legal guidance to Reese News Lab’s Capitol Hound (2/2/2015) - Students enrolled in a UNC School of Law practicum class have provided legal guidance to a project whose faculty advisers have been named recipients of the University’s 2014 C. Felix Harvey Award for Institutional Priorities. The faculty will receive $50,000 to help improve state government transparency through a web application called Capitol Hound. The law […]
Media Law Grad Student Selected for Future Faculty Fellowship Program (1/11/2015) - Kriste Patrow, a first-year Ph.D. student in the UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication who works in the Center for Media Law and Policy, has been selected to participate in the Future Faculty Fellowship Program (FFFP) at Carolina. Run by the University’s Center for Faculty Excellence, the semester-long program introduces graduate students to evidence-based […]
Not Waiting for the FAA, North Carolina and 9 Other States Enacted Drone Laws in 2014 (12/18/2014) - As discussed in last month’s post, the FAA’s most recent notable effort to regulate Unmanned Aircraft Systems and/or Vehicles (UAS/UAV) is the opening of six test sites, where the FAA will oversee UAS exploratory research and safety developments through February 2017. While regulation of UAS at the federal level has received significant attention, state and […]
State of the Drone: FAA Test Sites Take Off (11/3/2014) - In August 2014, a small but noteworthy milestone in the Federal Aviation Administration’s regulation of drones – or “unmanned aerial systems” (UAS), in the agency’s parlance – occurred. On August 13, the FAA announced that the final of six test sites for UAS research had opened. With operations at the FAA’s six test sites underway […]
My EPIC Summer (10/22/2014) - In a humble office above a Dupont Circle bagel shop in Washington, D.C., a very small army of dedicated attorneys fights to protect your digital privacy. They vigilantly watch the watchers, among them the actual U.S. Army with its “surveillance blimps.” They comb through public records to expose secret surveillance. They use their expertise to […]
A UNC Student’s Summer Experience at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (10/8/2014) - This summer, I worked as a legal intern at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, a leading organization that advocates on behalf of journalists’ First Amendment rights. My experience there was, to say the least, outstanding. I had the opportunity to work on a wide range of First Amendment issues. I helped craft […]
First Amendment Day Retold by Social Media (9/24/2014) - Journalism students followed the hashtag #UNCfree to learn what people were saying on social media about First Amendment Day. After compiling the content, they connected the images, tweets and videos into a news story to summarize their experiences of First Amendment Day events. Check out some of their multimedia stories edited with Storify.
Public Records Online at open-nc.org (9/2/2014) - Many of us talk about the importance of public records, but Ryan Thornburg has moved beyond talking. He has found a way to make public records in North Carolina easily accessible to the media and the public. Thornburg, an associate professor in the UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication, has created a project called […]
Drone Footage of Major World Cities (8/5/2014) - In the Game of Drones, you watch or you fly. Since I don’t currently own a drone, I’ll stick to Internet videos. Fortunately, there are some pretty awesome videos out there that provide drone footage from around the world. Open Culture, which describes itself as “the best free cultural and educational media on the web,” […]
Statehouse media coverage declines (7/29/2014) - According to a recent Pew Research Center report, the number of reporters covering their statehouses has dropped 35% over the past decade. The study found a loss of 164 full-time statehouse reporters across the nation and more than two-thirds of U.S. newspapers without a statehouse reporter at all. Given the media’s role as watchdog for the […]
Drone Used to Film Fireworks (7/14/2014) - If you grew up in a state that banned fireworks, you might have at some point picked up some out of state products to make sure your celebration had a bang. Skirting the law with fireworks is something of a national pastime, but one drone user might have the most spectacular use yet. Joe Stiglingh […]
FAA Releases Notice Concerning Model Airplane Rule (6/26/2014) - Backyard flying is more complex than Snoopy battling the Red Baron, and you might be surprised at how much debate goes into just what is and what isn’t a model airplane. The FAA released a “Notice of Interpretation” in an effort to clarify the model airplane exception of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, […] New Media Law PhDs (6/11/2014) - The UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication will welcome three new media law students to its Ph.D. program this fall. All of them have expressed interest in working in the UNC Center for Media Law and Policy. Welcome, law dawgs! These are the students and a brief description of each student’s background and research interests: Nicholas […]
Students Presenting at AEJMC Conference in August 2014 (6/4/2014) - Three Carolina students have had media law research papers accepted by the Law and Policy Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) for presentation at the group’s annual conference in Montreal in August. Congratulations! These are the authors, theory paper titles, and their paper abstracts: Kevin Delaney, a student in […]
Drone Journalism Resource Page (6/4/2014) - It’s not a bird, it’s not a plane, and unfortunately it’s not Superman either. So what is this small white device with propellers? It’s a drone, and in the next few years, drones just like this one might be whizzing over your head doing everything from taking pictures to delivering a late night pizza. News […]
J-School PhD Student awarded Google Policy Fellowship (5/28/2014) - UNC Center for Media Law and Policy staffer Liz Woolery has been awarded a Google Policy Fellowship to work at the New America Foundation’s Open Technology Institute in Washington, D.C., this summer. Congratulations, Liz! Liz was one of 20 chosen to work at 20 U.S. public interest and technology policy organizations. She is a Ph.D. […]
Students Receive Support Grants for Summer Internships (5/16/2014) - The UNC Center for Media Law and Policy has awarded $1,000 summer grants to two students in the center’s dual-degree program. The grants went to Natasha Duarte and Kevin Delaney to support their summer internships. Kevin will be at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press in Arlington, Va. Natasha will be at the […] Summer Public Interest Grants for UNC Law and Graduate Students (3/15/2014) - Each year, the UNC School of Law provides 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 by generous donors, law school funds allocated by the Dean, and student organizations that fundraise to support […]
Obama’s New Plan for the Future of Open Government (2/14/2014) - On this week’s episode of WNYC’s “RadioLab” podcast, the hosts interviewed Jeff Larson, data editor at ProPublica. He described his experience in June 2013 filing a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the United States National Security Agency (NSA) to find out if the agency had collected any metadata about his cell phone usage. […] Congratulations to UNC Students: Publications and Conference Papers (2/13/2014) - What’s more fun that sharing good news about our great media law students? Absolutely nothing! So here it goes. . . . UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication Ph.D. student Karen McIntrye has had an article accepted for publication in the Newspaper Research Journal. The title of her paper is “Drone Journalism: Exploring the […]
Drones, Drones, Everywhere a Drone: Is North Carolina Ready for Unmanned Aircraft Systems? (2/10/2014) - It seems everyone has been talking about drones lately. Journalists, emergency management officials, police officers, privacy advocates, and even farmers have all shared their two cents about these “flying robots.” Now the North Carolina General Assembly has joined the discussion. Late last month, a legislative committee convened to discuss the future of unmanned aircraft systems/vehicles […]
Bloggers Receive Same Constitutional Protection as Traditional Press in Defamation Claims, Rules 9th Circuit Court of Appeals (1/18/2014) - The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday that bloggers receive the same First Amendment protection as traditional members of the press when facing defamation charges. Writing the majority opinion, Judge Andrew Hurwitz held that, “[t]he protections of the First Amendment do not turn on whether the defendant was a trained journalist, formally affiliated with […]
New Center Video Gallery Launched (1/9/2014) - Since 2009, the Center has been holding a variety of events and workshops. Whenever possible, we live-stream and make archive video available on each event’s individual page. To make it easier to find these videos, we have compiled all of our event videos into a gallery so our community of users can easily browse and […]
Free Speech Assumptions and the Case of Netflix (12/13/2013) - There are two (among many) huge assumptions we make when we speak of a right to free speech or free expression. The first assumption is that such speech can actually be formed. The second is that such speech will be heard. For the disabled, neither assumption is a given. The disabled who can speak are […]
C-SPAN, UNC-TV to televise inaugural Hargrove Colloquium (11/4/2013) - C-SPAN and UNC-TV will televise today’s inaugural Wade H. Hargrove Communications Law and Policy Colloquium, hosted by the Center for Media Law and Policy. Hearst TV CEO David Barrett and ABC News President Ben Sherwood will discuss the future of TV news and the challenges and opportunities media companies face in this age of digital […] Hearst TV CEO and ABC News President to Headline Inaugural Hargrove Communications Law Colloquium (10/17/2013) - We are pleased to announce that on November 4, 2013, the Center will host the inaugural Wade H. Hargrove Communications Law and Policy Colloquium. Friends and colleagues of Wade Hargrove established the colloquium to honor Mr. Hargrove, a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an accomplished media lawyer, by spurring discussion and […]
EU Holds News Website Liable for Anonymous Comments (10/14/2013) - Last week, the European Union held an Estonian news website liable for anonymous comments posted by third parties on its site. The EU case concerned a 2006 article published on the Estonian news site Delfi. The article was about changes to a Northern Europe ferry company’s travel routes. Because the route alterations would cause delay […]
Symposium will contemplate 50 years of press freedom (10/11/2013) - Almost 50 years ago, Justice William J. Brennan Jr., writing for the Supreme Court, expressed “a profound national commitment to the principle that debate on public issues should be uninhibited, robust, and wide-open, and that it may well include vehement, caustic, and sometimes unpleasantly sharp attacks on government and public officials.” Tomorrow, the UNC First […]
Twitter and Nielsen Ratings Team Up to Track Viewership (10/9/2013) - Twitter is teaming up with Nielsen Ratings to aid the service in monitoring what television shows are most frequently tweeted about by its users. The novel approach, called a “unique audience,” makes it easier than ever for the Nielsen system to provide accurate information about television viewership numbers on any given night. The new system […]
California Passes “Limited” Revenge Porn Legislation (10/8/2013) - A new California law may cause potential revenge porn posters to think twice before exploiting ex-lovers online. California Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill No. 255 on October 1. The new law will aid potential victims of “revenge porn” — those individuals whose sexually explicit photos and videos are posted online by (typically) ex-lovers — […]
A UNC Student’s Summer Experience at the Berkman Center’s Digital Media Law Project (10/7/2013) - This summer, I was fortunate enough to intern for the Digital Media Law Project (DMLP) at the Berkman Center in Cambridge, MA. Our office facility — fondly referred to as the “big yellow house” — was home to a large number of Berkman Center projects, of which the DMLP was one. The Berkman Center is […]
NPR and AP Limit Use of “Obamacare” Language (10/4/2013) - As the government shutdown continues, National Public Radio (NPR) and the Associated Press (AP) have decided to cut back on their usage of the term “Obamacare.” NPR’s managing editor, Stuart Seidel, issued the editing order last Tuesday, asking that NPR staff members vary their wording when discussing the new health care system, saying that the […]Government Shutdown Affects FOIA Requests (10/2/2013) - The government shutdown is having an impact on every “nonessential” federal service, including Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act (PA) requests under the NSA. According to the NSA’s website, all FOIA and PA requests or inquiries submitted to the FOIA/PA office “will not be addressed until the office reopens.” The NSA’s homepage also […]
FTC investigates patent trolls (9/30/2013) - The Federal Trade Commission will investigate what it calls Patent Assertion Entities, commonly referred to as “patent trolls,” companies whose primary business model is buying patents and suing people for infringement. The FTC has proposed a series of questions that it will ask the 25 most controversial PAEs to gather information on how the companies […]
This First Amendment Day, fight for the free flow of information (9/23/2013) - UNC will hold its fifth annual First Amendment Day Sept. 24, a celebration of our rights to speak, publish, worship, assemble and protest without government intervention. It’s easy to celebrate free expression. It’s sometimes harder to notice when that freedom is being eroded by the government. In the year since First Amendment Day 2012, we’ve […]
Fourth Circuit: Facebook “likes” are protected speech (9/19/2013) - The Fourth Circuit reversed a district court’s holding that pressing the “Like” button on Facebook is not “enough speech” to warrant First Amendment protection. The opinion compares “liking” a political candidate on Facebook to “displaying a political sign in one’s front yard,” undoubtedly a form of protected political speech. The Court upheld the First Amendment […]
Looking for a Job in Media Law? (9/18/2013) - Looking for a job can be time consuming and frustrating. Often the best opportunities are found through networking and word of mouth. But what if you are a student or recent grad? Or are trying to change fields or areas of practice and you don’t have a network? Breaking into a new field, or even trying […]A UNC Student’s Summer Experience at NPR (9/13/2013) - I have always admired NPR’s style of broadcast journalism. Through their use of compelling voice-overs, descriptive writing styles, and natural sound, the organization’s reporters have a way of bringing life to stories that lack pictures. Naturally, as one of UNC’s law and journalism dual-degree students, I jumped at the opportunity to spend my summer working […]
Senate Judiciary Committee Meets to Discuss Federal Shield Law, S.987 (9/12/2013) - Natasha Duarte contributed to this post. The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to meet with lawmakers today to discuss the federal reporter shield bill proposed by Senator Schumer (D-NY) in May of this year. Tune in to a live webcast of the meeting beginning at 10:00am. The Free Flow of Information Act, S.987, includes some […] Amicus brief argues NSA surveillance violates freedom of the press (9/11/2013) - The Reporter’s Committee for the Freedom of the Press filed an amicus brief in ACLU v. Clapper arguing that government collection of call records violates the First Amendment freedom of the press by impeding reporters’ ability to maintain confidential sources. The brief supports the ACLU’s motion for a preliminary injunction to stop the NSA from […]
Twitter Round-Up Week of: September 2 (9/7/2013) - As part of a new weekly feature on our blog, I’ll post the highlights from the Center’s and my Twitter feeds. Here is what had my attention on Twitter this week: [View the story “Weekly Twitter Roundup” on Storify]
New York Court Orders Fox News Reporter to Comply With Colorado Subpoena to Appear in Holmes’ Criminal Trial (8/24/2013) - This week, the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court affirmed a decision by a lower court that a Fox News reporter must comply with a Colorado subpoena to testify as a witness — and possibly divulge her confidential sources — in the criminal trial against James Holmes, the alleged gunman of the Colorado […]
Center Staffer’s Book on Shield Laws Published (6/24/2013) - UNC Center for Media Law and Policy Research Fellow Dean Smith is the author of a new book, “A Theory of Shield Laws: Journalists, Their Sources, and Popular Constitutionalism,” published in June by LFB Scholarly Publishing. In his book, Smith shows how the debate over confidential sources evolved over the 115-year history of statutory shield […]
Students Presenting at AEJMC Conference in August (5/20/2013) - 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 […]
Summer Public Interest Grants for Law and Graduate Students (3/21/2013) - 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 […]
Paid Internship at the NPPA Writing About Media Law (3/8/2013) - This just dropped into my inbox from the National Press Photographers Association, located just up the road in Durham: The National Press Photographers Association is searching for a paid intern to help promote our advocacy efforts and assist with legal writing, news stories and press releases. Topics that you will write about will primarily include legal […]
Lessig v. Corruption (2013) (3/1/2013) - Larry Lessig will visit UNC on Monday, and we will confess to feeling a bit geeked out at the UNC Center for Media Law and Policy. What is it about Lessig that continues to captivate political activists, hacktivists and academic observers some 15 years after he was first elevated into the limelight as a special […]
UNC Students Presenting Research at AEJMC Southeast Colloquium (2/28/2013) - UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication graduate students will present 13 research papers at the AEJMC Southeast Colloquium in Tampa this week. Ph.D. student Liz Woolery, who works in our media law center, will present two papers, one of which won third place in the Law and Policy Division. Both of Liz’s papers are […]
The FCC, Media Ownership and the Tar Heel State (2/18/2013) - This Wednesday, Feb. 20 at 5:30 p.m., the Center will be joining with Common Cause to hold a public discussion of the Federal Communication Commission’s media ownership rules and their impact on the media’s ability to meet the information needs of North Carolina communities. The FCC is currently reviewing its rules and is considering scrapping the radio/TV […]
Film Screening of Miss Representation (11/8/2012) - This coming Monday, November 12, the Center is partnering with the UNC Conference on Race, Class, Gender & Ethnicity, Women in Law, Domestic Violence Action Project, Child Action, Law Students for Reproductive Justice, and the Lambda Law Students Association to present a screening of Miss Representation. The film, written, directed and produced by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, premiered at the […]
A UNC Student’s Summer Experience in Media Law (10/31/2012) - Tabitha Messick Childs, a 3L at the UNC School of Law (and my former research assistant), spent her summer at the Berkman Center’s Digital Media Law Project. At my urging, she wrote the following summary of her experience. Our hope is that it will be useful to other students considering summer jobs in media law. […]Law School for Digital Journalists: Wrapup (9/28/2012) - Last week, the Center for Media Law and Policy joined with the Online News Association, Stanford Center for Internet and Society, and Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism to present a full-day of legal training for ONA members at the Online News Association’s 2012 conference in San Francisco. The sessions, which we’ve been calling “Law School for Digital Journalists,” covered everything from […]
UNC School of Journalism Issues Recommendations to Help Meet Community Info Needs (6/13/2012) - Back in January, the center hosted a workshop that brought together more than 50 media scholars, professionals, attorneys and community leaders to discuss how Internet, cable television, satellite television and mobile broadband service providers could help promote local accountability journalism in North Carolina and the nation. The full-day event was intended to hash out some of the […]
Students sweep media law research prizes (5/24/2012) - UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication graduate students have won the first, second and third-place top-student-paper awards for media law research they will present at the annual convention of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication in August. Also winning prizes in the AEJMC Law and Policy Division are two recent graduates […]| Date/Time | Event |
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10/11/2023 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm |
Media Law Dual Degree Programs (MA/JD and PhD/JD) Info Session at UNC School of Law
Room 5048, UNC School of Law, Chapel Hill NC |
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10/09/2023 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm |
Media Law Dual Degree Programs (MA/JD and PhD/JD) Info Session at Hussman School of Journalism and Media
Curtis Media Center, Rooms 301/302, Chapel Hill NC |
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10/04/2023 1:15 pm - 2:15 pm |
Navigating the Legal Landscape: Student Media and Press Freedom
Freedom Forum Conference Center on the Third Floor of Carroll Hall, Chapel Hill NC |
2022
| Date/Time | Event |
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11/16/2022 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm |
Media Law Dual Degree Programs (MA/JD and PhD/JD) Info Session at UNC School of Law
Classroom 5046, UNC School of Law, Chapel Hill NC |
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03/24/2022 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm |
Information Warfare in the Russian-Ukraine Conflict |
2020
| Date/Time | Event |
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10/30/2020 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm |
Media Law Dual Degree Programs (MA/JD and PhD/JD) Info Session |
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04/01/2020 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm |
2020 Hargrove Media Law and Policy Colloquium: Google's Richard Gingras on Technology, Media, & Democracy
George Watts Hill Alumni Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill NC |
2019
| Date/Time | Event |
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11/08/2019 - 11/09/2019 All Day |
Fostering an Informed Society: The Role of the First Amendment in Strengthening Local News and Democracy
George Watts Hill Alumni Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill NC |
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10/29/2019 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm |
Media Law Dual Degree Programs (MA/JD and PhD/JD) Info Session
Room 5048, UNC School of Law, Chapel Hill NC |
2018
| Date/Time | Event |
|---|---|
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10/29/2018 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm |
Media Law Dual Degree Programs (MA/JD and PhD/JD) Info Session
Freedom Forum Conference Center, Chapel Hill NC |
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09/21/2018 1:30 pm - 2:45 pm |
The Promise (and Perils) of Data-Driven Journalism | Interdisciplinary Lunch Series
Halls of Fame Room, Chapel Hill NC |
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03/23/2018 12:00 pm - 1:15 pm |
The (non)Americans: Tracking and Analyzing Russian Influence Operations on Twitter | March Interdisciplinary Lunch Series
Halls of Fame Room, Chapel Hill NC |
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03/09/2018 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm |
Media Law Society Panel on Careers in Media Law
UNC School of Law, Chapel Hill NC |
2017
| Date/Time | Event |
|---|---|
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11/13/2017 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm |
Media Law Dual Degree Programs (MA/JD and PhD/JD) Info Session
Room 33, Carroll Hall, Chapel Hill NC |
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11/10/2017 12:30 pm - 1:45 pm |
New Media Barons and the Emerging Threat of News Deserts
Freedom Forum Conference Center, Chapel Hill NC |
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11/03/2017 8:30 am - 4:00 pm |
NC Law Review Symposium - Badge Cams as Data and Deterrent: Law Enforcement, the Public and the Press in the Age of Digital Video
George Watts Hill Alumni Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill NC |
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10/27/2017 8:30 am - 3:30 pm |
First Amendment Law Review Symposium: "Distorting the Truth: 'Fake News' & Free Speech"
George Watts Hill Alumni Center, UNC-CH, Chapel Hill NC |
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09/26/2017 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm |
Investigative Reporting: Breaking the Marines United Story
Reese News Lab in the basement of Carroll Hall, Chapel Hill |
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09/22/2017 12:00 pm - 1:15 pm |
Information at the Intersections: Disability, Race, and Information Access
Room 142, Carroll Hall, Chapel Hill NC |
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03/21/2017 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm |
Freedom of the Press and the Trump Administration
Room 5048, UNC School of Law, Chapel Hill NC |
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02/09/2017 12:00 am - 12:50 pm |
Media Law Society Summer Jobs Panel
Classroom 5046, UNC School of Law, Chapel Hill NC |
2016
| Date/Time | Event |
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11/18/2016 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm |
M.A./J.D. and Ph.D./J.D. Media Law Dual Degrees Info Session
Freedom Forum Conference Center, Carroll Hall, Chapel Hill NC |
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11/11/2016 12:00 pm - 1:15 pm |
Prototype Politics: Technology-Intensive Campaigning and the Data of Democracy
Halls of Fame Room, Chapel Hill NC |