final Flashcards
(45 cards)
What is ethics?
Ethics come from the Ancient Greek study of the rational way to decide what is good for individuals or society.
How do ethics differ from morals?
Ethics are about using reason and logic to determine what’s right for individuals and society, while morals refer to personal beliefs often based on religion or tradition.
What does authoritarian media imply?
On paper, it looks privately owned, but it requires licensing from the leader, who can punish journalists regardless of the truth of their writings.
What characterizes communist media?
The government owns the media.
What activities did the PATRIOT Act allow the government to conduct?
It allowed searching an individual’s Internet log, obtaining library records, increasing domestic surveillance, and tracking all communications.
What is obscenity in the context of the First Amendment?
Obscenity refers to speech and expression that is too disgusting and not protected by the First Amendment.
Relevant cases include Roth v. United States and Miller v. California.
What is the equal time provision?
If a TV or radio station gives airtime to one political candidate, it must offer the same amount of time to all other candidates running for the same office.
What was the Fairness Doctrine?
Under this rule, TV and radio stations had to discuss important public issues and share different viewpoints.
What does copyright protect?
Copyright protects who owns a creation or intellectual property and what happens when someone uses or steals that creation.
Corporate copyright lasts 95 years from publication or 120 years from creation.
What is Public Domain Day 2025?
Works published in 1929 will enter the public domain after 95 years, allowing others to use them without legal repercussions.
Who was Jason Rezain?
A Washington Post journalist detained in Iran for several years before being released through U.S. government negotiation.
Who is John Rawls?
A 20th-century philosopher known for the principle called the ‘veil of ignorance.’
What is native advertising?
It is when a news piece is written by someone affiliated with the company being reported on, misleading readers about the source.
What does authoritarian theory of the press entail?
It involves a ruler requiring all privately owned news organizations to submit applications for licensing and punishing criticism.
What is New York Times v. Sullivan?
A U.S. Supreme Court case that established that a public official must show actual malice to win a libel case.
What are shield laws?
Measures approved by state legislatures to protect journalists from revealing confidential sources in certain circumstances.
What grounds would you have to sue for false light?
If a news report misrepresents you in a way that creates a misleading impression.
What is misappropriation in media law?
Using someone’s likeness or identity for commercial purposes without permission, as seen in the case of Ryan Garner.
What journalistic sin did Stephen Glass commit?
Fabrication.
What is the Roth v. United States case known for?
It was the Supreme Court’s first attempt to define obscenity and established a three-part test for determining what is obscene.
What did Miller v. California establish?
It allowed states to ban specific types of content while protecting material with serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.
What are shield laws?
Many states have shield laws that protect journalists from having to testify in court.
What was the case of Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier about?
A group of high school students sued the school system because their principal barred articles about pregnancy and divorce from the student newspaper.
The Supreme Court ruled that a principal could censor a student newspaper when it was produced as part of a class.
