DCSIMG
Skip Global Navigation to Main Content
Publications

Media Law Handbook

15 December 2010

What are the privileges and responsibilities of a free press? In Media Law Handbook, Professor Jane Kirtley, Silha Professor of Media Ethics and Law at the University of Minnesota, explores how free societies answer this question.

Introduction

Freedom of Speech and a Free Press

Press Accountability

Privacy and Libel

Transparency

Chapter 1

International Standards

National Standards

Laws That Discourage Journalists

Compulsory Licensing

Regulation of the Internet

Balancing Legitimate Competing Interests

Chapter 2

A Framework for a Free Press

Government Searches

Defining Journalistic Privilege

Compelled Disclosure

Access to Government Information

Freedom of Information Laws

Criticizing Government Officials

Criticizing Public Figures

Newsworthy Information About Individuals

Publishing and Individual Privacy

Government Licensing

Additional Government Regulation

Restrictions on Indecent Speech

Access to Court Proceedings

Prior Restraints and Gag Orders

Cameras in the Courtroom

Chapter 3

Self-Regulation in Lieu of Litigation

Self-Regulatory Mechanisms

Chapter 4

The Responsibilities of Journalists

Ethics and Standards

Objectivity in the News

The Independent Journalist

Being Accountable to the Public

Chapter 5

New Media, Citizen Journalists, and Bloggers

Holding Bloggers Accountable

Protecting Privacy and Copyright

Resources

(This is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/iipdigital-en/index.html)