Mass Media Law

Inmates and a right to privacy?

Inmate wins release after jail recorded hundreds of attorney-client calls Many phone calls between Orange County, California, jail inmates and their lawyers were recorded by an outside vendor, and sheriff's personnel listened to some of the communications, according to a motion this week signed by the county public defender.

This country frowns on search warrants issued against journalists to find out confidential sources.

Pending Approval, San Francisco Will Pay $369,000 To Journalist for Raid The San Francisco police entered Bryan Carmody's home and office in May 2019 to find information on the anonymous source that had leaked a police report.

Not surprised...Youtube is a private company.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Dismisses Censorship Suit Against YouTube - First Amendment Watch The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit dismissed a lawsuit filed against YouTube and its parent company, Google, for alleged First Amendment violations. Prager University (PragerU), a nonprofit educational and media organization that espouses right-wing views, sued YouTube in October 2017 a...

Free speech on campus wins the day here.

Syracuse University Walks Back from Punishing Student Protesters The university’s decision to reverse the suspensions was welcomed by civil rights groups including the New York Civil Liberties Union.

The Tinker v. Des Moines School District should protect these students.

Wisconsin Students Sue School Over Gun T-shirts The third of its kind in the state, the suit argues that the students’ shirts are non-violent and are meant to express support for “the Second Amendment.”

Defamation lawsuits are more often than not dismissed.

Judge Dismisses Virginia Lt. Gov's $400 Million Libel Suit Against CBS The judge found no evidence that CBS' coverage of the sexual assault allegations would have lead a reasonable viewer to assume they were true or accurate.

Student art is being censored at this college.

University Removes Student Artwork from Online Exhibition The student artwork, a parody of Caravaggio's "Judith Beheading Holofernes," involved swapping the figures for the Statue of Liberty and President Trump.

Defamation case ruled on in New York Supreme Court.

NY Supreme Court Says Kesha's Texts to Lady Gaga Defamed “Dr. Luke” The decision is part of a closely followed defamation case filed by music producer Lukasz Gottwald who claims Kesha falsely accused him of sexual assault.

Pretty interesting list of the worst free speech colleges in the country.

10 Worst Colleges for Free Speech: 2020 FIRE is proud to announce our 10 worst colleges for free speech for 2020.

Defamation lawsuit against Hillary Clinton.

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard sues Hillary Clinton For Defamation For Allegedly Calling Her A “Russian Asset” - First Amendment Watch The defamation suit concerns comments Clinton made in a 2019 podcast with former Obama adviser David Plouffe. During the course of their interview, Clinton said that a Democrat running in the presidential primary was being groomed by the Russians.

New York Times sued by Harvard professor.

Harvard Law Professor Files Defamation Suit Against The New York Times Over Epstein Donation Story - First Amendment Watch Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Lessig is suing The New York Times for defamation. In a complaint filed on January 13th in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, Lessig alleges that the Times used a “false and defamatory ‘clickbait’ Internet headline and lede to drive reader...

Two party recording consent...unconstitutional?

Massachusetts Prosecutor Defends Ban on Secret Recording of Police The ACLU of Massachuetts says that the law violates the First Amendment right to gather information about police officers.