This exceptional new text offers an up-to-date and integrated approach to communication law. Written by two practicing attorneys with extensive experience teaching the communication law course, Law for Advertising, Broadcasting, Journalism, and Public Relations covers the areas of communication law essential and most relevant for readers throughout the communication curriculum. Its integrated approach will serve students and practitioners in advertising and public relations as well as those in journalism and electronic media. Providing background to help readers understand legal concepts, this comprehensive communication law text includes an introduction to the legal system; covers legal procedures, structures, and jurisdictions; discusses the First Amendment and electronic media regulations; and considers issues of access. Additional material includes: *intellectual property law; *employment and agency law, with explanations of how these laws create obligations for mass communication professionals and their employees; *commercial communication laws; and *special laws and regulations that impact reporters, public relations practitioners, and advertisers who deal with stock sales. Special features of this text include: *Magic Words and Phrases--defining legal terms; *Cases--illustrating key points in each chapter; *Practice Notes--highlighting points of particular interest to professional media practices; *Instructions on finding and briefing cases, with a sample brief; and *Examples of legal documents and jury instructions. This text is intended as an introduction to communication law for students and practitioners in mass communication, journalism, advertising, broadcasting, telecommunications, and public relations.

The 2001 Update Edition of Law of Public Communication includes the most current information available on the subject. Focusing on the day-to-day implications of the law for media practitioners, this book examines the law affecting both traditional journalism and the ever-changing commercial and electronic media, explaining the law as it applies to the daily work of media practitioners. anyone working in the mass communication field, or anyone interested in pursuing a career in mass communication.

The twelfth edition of this classic textbook provides an overview of communication and media law including the most current legal developments. It explains laws affecting the daily work of writers, broadcasters, public relations practitioners, photographers, bloggers and other public communicators. By providing statutes and cases in an accessible manner, even to students studying law for the first time, the authors ensure that students acquire a firm grasp of the legal issues affecting the media. The book examines legal topics such as libel, privacy, intellectual property, obscenity and access to information, considering the development and current standing of relevant laws and important cases. It examines how these laws affect public, political and commercial communication. The twelfth edition discusses hot topics such as proposals to modify Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, net neutrality legislation, participant monitoring, the "actual malice" standard for litigation against journalists and the Julian Assange Espionage Act prosecution. It also explores social media issues, such as whether social media use by public officials constitutes a public forum, liability for defamation and the operation of Facebook’s Oversight Board. The Law of Public Communication is an ideal core textbook for undergraduate and graduate courses in communication law and mass media law. Online resources include a test bank and PowerPoint slides.