The Scopes trial of 1925 drew many reporters to Dayton, Tennessee, to report on what they expected would be the final blow to ignorant fundamentalism. They came with many preconceived notions about Dayton, the people of Dayton, William Jennings Bryan, and creationism. Close examination of pretrial, trial, and posttrial coverage in eight…

Conference proceedings on the Native American Press in Wisconsin and the Nation present speeches and presentations pertaining to current American Indian publications and examples of analysis and synthesis created by Indian scholars. Topics of speeches presented include: an interpretive framework for Native American discourse; the early years of…

Although libel has remained the major legal problem of the press for 40 years, little empirical research has been conducted concerning its impact. Various methods for conducting this type of needed research include traditional legal research, surveys of practitioners, and surveys of persons outside the media who are directly affected by mass…

The absolutist approach to the First Amendment of the United States Constitution--argued for many years by Supreme Court Justices Hugo L. Black and William O. Douglas--is regarded as the most libertarian interpretation by most mass communication law students. However, the two justices found agreement difficult in some First Amendment cases,…

Unlike most of the regulatory constraints which have impact on the media, libel, slander, and invasion of privacy are common law concepts developed from the precedents of previous court decisions and from reasoning employed in the written judicial opinions of appellate courts. Since common law is thus both traditional in nature and subject to…

Presents a brief overview of both the common law and constitutional privileges protecting the expression of opinion. Notes that, although the case of "Ollman v. Evans" provides a four-factor test to make the fact-opinion distinction, ambiguity is still evident in many cases. (MM)

Provides research and background materials on current cases and issues involving student editors, student media, and campus press freedom. (Editor)

Argues that the advertising industry's influence on the press is primarily indirect and that journalism educators should divert student attention from the negative aspects of advertising's role in the press. (RL)

The following 12 papers, on a variety of topics, were given at the 1990 meeting of the American Journalism Historians' Association: (1) "'Let Jim Handle It': President Dwight D. Eisenhower's First Heart Attack and Jim Hagerty's Handling of the Media" (Joseph V. Trahan, III); (2) "Eisenhower's Pyrrhic Victory in 1956: Mixed Lessons…

Based on the criticism made by the Philadelphia newspaper "North American," this paper examines the passage of the anti-cartoon bill by the Pennsylvania legislature in 1903. The paper notes that the law served not to silence political criticism but to motivate vehement attacks by newspapers throughout the country on the law, on Samuel…

Since "New York Times Co. versus Sullivan," the amount of money spent on libel suits brought against the media, and the amount of money awarded to litigants, has skyrocketed. Most people who file such suits against the media are not seeking monetary damages, but only vindication for damage to their name and reputation. However, they may…

Voluntary bench-bar press guidelines have evolved over the past 15 years as a way of resolving the conflict between the right of the accused to a fair trial and the right of the press to cover such a trial. In 1980, however, a Washington state judge required reporters to sign an affidavit stating that they would follow the state's guidelines.…

Established in the early 1970s to respond to complaints about and from the media, the four press councils in Canada (the Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, and Windsor Press Councils) have been accepted, but not overwhelmingly so by either newspapers or the public. The success and acceptability of the councils seems to be related to the kinds of complaints…

In the United States Supreme Court's only decision on the question of journalists' protecting their confidential sources (the "Branzburg trilogy" of cases decided in 1972), Justice Lewis Powell emphasized the importance of "striking a proper balance between freedom of the press and the obligation of all citizens to give relevant…

The legal problems faced by publishers of alternative newspapers are often compounded by the limited availability of the funds they have either for legal defense or for initiating lawsuits. Although both the courts and journalism's professional associations theoretically support the position that the alternative press possesses rights identical to…