Amy Jordan addresses the need to balance the media industry's potentially important contributions to the healthy development of America's children against the consequences of excessive and age-inappropriate media exposure. Much of the philosophical tension regarding how much say the government should have about media content and delivery stems…

In the twenty-first century, differences in the treatment of trade in alcoholic beverages in comparison to other commercial goods seem at odds with the federal regulation of interstate trade under the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution, which prohibits "differential treatment of in-state and out-of-state economic interests that…

This paper addresses the relationship between the First Amendment, monopoly of transmission media, and vertical integration of transmission and content provision. A survey of some of the incentives a profit-maximizing transmission monopolist may have with respect to content is followed by a discussion of how vertical integration affects those…

The driving force in federal licensing has been the combined political interests of legislators desirous of obtaining valuable prerogatives over the assignment of frequencies; incumbent broadcasters, ever vigilant in restricting new entry into broadcasting; and "public interest" lobbyists, whose self-interests lay in politicizing the…

This analysis of First Amendment rights for the electronic media recounts the stories of the broadcasting/cable industry must-carry compromise of 1986 and the failed codification of the Fairness Doctrine in 1987. It is noted that these cases were peculiar because, in each instance, the most powerful media in the country willingly sought abridgment…

While print media are protected by the First Amendment, the electronic media are subject to content regulations. Gives an historical overview, showing how the Federal Communications Commission came to regulate radio. There should be a constitutional solution, an amendment protecting electronic media from government regulations. (CS)

Disclosure of information to the investing public is a primary purpose of federal regulation of the securities industry and one of the primary duties and responsibilities of financial public relations practitioners. Disclosure requirements are numerous, with most mandating publicly held corporations to disclose information. Some requirements,…

This monograph traces the themes in various court decisions that reflect a growing respect for the broadcast industry as a mature communication medium which, despite federal regulation, deserves a fuller measure of the First Amendment protection enjoyed by other media. The review begins with the first government involvement in broadcast content in…

Discusses the implications of federal legislation and local government encroachment on cable systems, and advocates that cable television be given the editorial and journalistic discretion given to newspapers. (RBF)

Under the "commercial speech doctrine," corporations were restricted for many years from speaking out on public issues or engaging in certain advertising practices. This "doctrine" was based on a case from the 1940s, in which the court ruled that purely commercial advertising had no constitutional protection from government…

The availability of Internet access in public libraries has raised concerns about free speech rights and library liabilities. This article, part one in a three part series, examines the constitutional background for free speech and Internet provision, defining "speech" and highlighting limitations to free speech and court analysis of…

Suggesting future lines of inquiry for policymakers and others, this report attempts to distill the essential points of discussion and debate that occurred during a conference on electronic media regulation and the first amendment attended by 21 experts representing legislative, regulatory, business, judicial, academic, audience, and media…

Because recent restrictive changes in cigarette advertising laws have unknown consequences for advertisers, this report outlines the history of the controversy over whether to allow cigarette advertisements, explores its legal status with respect to First Amendment rights for advertisers, and considers potential solutions to the conflict between…

An analysis of first amendment guarantees focuses on the federal government's power to regulate experiments, arguing that they do not merit the stringent level of first amendment protection offered by strict scrutiny or related standards. (Author/MSE)

A review of federal court decisions in the area of cable television and First Amendment rights reveals an early, unified perception of cable's First Amendment status that has given way in the past decade to fragmented and often contradictory positions among lower level courts. This makes the problem before the courts today one of choosing from, or…