Media Law Chapter 5: Libel and Privacy

Chapter 5: Libel, Privacy, and Access Issues

• Two key reasons for importance: protecting individual rights and ensuring transparency/accountability

• Libel vs Slander: Libel is defamation in written form or other tangible media; slander is spoken defamation or gestures.

• First Amendment Rights: Congress cannot restrict freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, or petition.

• Six Elements of Libel Suits: Defamation, Identification, Publication, Falsity, Fault, and Damages.

• Public Officials vs. Public Figures: Public officials hold government positions; public figures have voluntarily taken on prominent roles in society. Both need to prove "fault" under libel law, meaning the publisher acted negligently or intentionally.

• Three Libel Defenses: Truth, Fair Report Privilege (describing government proceedings), and Fair Comment and Criticism (allowing opinions on matters of legitimate public concern).

• Four Types of Privacy Invasion: Intrusion upon seclusion or solitude, publicity of private facts, placing a person in a false light, and appropriating a person's name or likeness for gain.

Chapter 6: Ethics and Morals in Journalism

• Morals = personal conduct, Ethics = broader rules for behavior. Journalists need to prioritize credibility by maintaining ethical standards.
• Two reasons for maintaining journalism ethics: minimizing harm to others and ensuring truth in reporting. Act independently, be accountable, and be transparent.
• Ethical Decision-Making Considerations: Clarify the story's purpose, check if the actions are consistent with the purpose, look for better alternatives, and consider personal values.
• Describing conflicts of interest: when a journalist, their friends/relatives, or news organizations stand to gain directly from a story; posing vs. misrepresentation (serious ethical/legal; posing is only when no other safe way exists).

Chapter 12: Hard and Soft News

• Hard news focuses on serious, timely, and consequential topics—like politics, crime, and major events. This reporting is factual and objective.
• Soft news covers topics that are less time-sensitive and more conversational in nature—like lifestyle, entertainment, and human interest stories.

Chapter 13: The Broadcast News Story

• Four Common Lead Types: Hard leads; tell the audience important info immediately. Throwaway leads; intrigue & focus on story. Umbrella leads; tie together related news stories. Soft leads; tell the audience something important is coming up.
• Two Story Structures: hard news and soft news. Hard news focuses on facts and details, soft news on a human interest angle.
• Sources for Broadcast news: newspapers, online sources, public relations, people involved.

Chapter 17: Public Affairs Reporting

• Focusing on federal, state or local government and business affairs. Qualities of a public affairs reporter: thorough, accurate, and diligent in investigations.

Chapter 19: Internal and External PR

• Internal PR: informs staff of headquarters and branch office activities.
• External PR: promotes a positive image through different public segments, knowing how to best connect with them.
• Similarities and differences between journalists and PR professionals.
• Why Journalists and PR Professionals need each other.
• Criticisms of press releases: examples of flaws such as puffery or lack of newsworthiness. One-sided or without solid facts.