• Press rights fall into two main categories:
  • privileges and protections for journalistic activities, and
  • access to government operations and records.

• Privilege: When reporters publish their work, they're protected by:
  • fair report privilege,
  • opinion privilege, and
  • fair comment and criticism.
• Freedom from newsroom searches
• Shield laws

• Freedom of information or "the right to know"
  • open courtrooms
  • open meetings
  • open records
• Online legal resources for reporters

• What happens when your big story leads to big trouble?

• Contempt of court
• Trespassing
• Sedition
• Libel
• Invasion of privacy
• Breach of contract
• Plagiarism
• Fabrication
• Lapses in Ethics
• Bias
• Bad taste
• Blunders and bloopers

• Publication of a false statement that deliberately or carelessly damages someone's reputation.
• It's essential to know the difference between what's acceptable and what's defamatory.

• Who can sue for libel?
• Who is it that gets sued? Me, the reporter?
• What exactly constitutes libel?
• How do I defend myself if someone claims that I libeled him/her?
• How can I avoid libel?

• A list of common words and phrases that can lead you into libel litigation, when used carelessly.

The Cherry Sisters v. "Fair Comment and Criticism"

• The New York Times v. Sullivan
• The Associated Press v. Walker
• Curtis Publishing v. Butts
• Gertz v. Welch
• Hutchinson v. Proxmire

• Actual malice
• Opinion
• Public official
• Public figure
• Slander

• Seven situations you might face as a reporter. What would you do?

• When unfair reporting victimizes unwilling people. When do ordinary people have a right to be left alone—to stay out of the news, if that's what they want?
• Libel cases challenge journalistic accuracy. Privacy cases challenge journalistic ethics and judgment.

• Intrusion
  • trespass
  • secret surveillance
  • misrepresentation
• False light
• Public disclosure of private facts
• Appropriation

• It prevents thieves and plagiarists from stealing your work and publishing it somewhere else, and it stops you from stealing the work of others.

• At a Glance: A Journalist's Guide to Copyright
• Respecting Trademarks

• At every publication there are restrictions on what you can say.
  • Censorship: when these restrictions are imposed from outside the newsroom (by courts, the military, school administrators, etc).
  • "Conforming to community values" or "Meeting our editing standards": when the restrictions originate inside the newsroom (also called "self-censorship").

• Vulgar language
• Offensive topics
• Conflict of interest
• Legal/ethical issues
• Reporting flaws

Two Case Studies

• American newspapers are free from virtually all forms of outside censorship. But student publications aren't so fortunate.
• Two key decisions and their impact on student papers.

• Ethical pitfalls that can lead to trouble-or termination.
  • Deception: lying or misrepresenting yourself to obtain information.
  • Conflict of interest: accepting gifts or favors from sources or promoting social and political causes.
  • Bias: slanting a story by manipulating facts to sway readers' opinions.
  • Fabrication: manufacturing quotes or imaginary sources, or writing anything you know to be untrue.
  • Theft: obtaining information unlawfully or without a source's permission.
  • Burning a source: deceiving or betraying the confidence of those who provide information for a story.
  • Plagiarism: passing off someone else's words or ideas as your own.

• Reporters and editors must maintain a high standard of professionalism.
• The importance of developing a code of ethics: standards and values that guide your professional conduct.

• Seek truth and report it.
• Minimize harm.
• Act independently.
• Be accountable.