An indispensable survival guide for anyone in the media industry and the lawyers who serve them Especially now, in an age of instant global access through digital media, it is vitally important that journalists, authors and publishers, as well as the lawyers who serve them, be fully up on the laws governing media, worldwide. The ultimate resource for all the media content providers and purveyors, this fully updated and expanded Third Edition of the critically-acclaimed handbook offers you instant access to relevant libel and privacy laws and important legal rulings in the Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the Americas. It clearly and concisely explains risks publishers should know about prior to publication, steps they can take in order to avoid legal conflicts, and legal defences available to them in the event of a claim. Offers nation-by-nation summaries of libel and privacy law written by local practitioners in an easy-to-use reference format Expanded to include coverage of important emerging territories—Mexico, Israel, and Argentina, et al—as well as the latest libel and privacy rulings Features new chapters on emerging media markets—including Israel, Mexico, Argentina, Jordan, and others—as well as valuable updates to the Middle East section Provides updates on all major media markets and nations, along with coverage of changes in libel laws in key jurisdictions, including Australia, the UK, Hungary and Germany

"As the recent cases involving William Westmoreland and Ariel Sharon re-veal, libel suits filed against media organizations have become an increas-ingly serious problem in recent years. The potential for inhibiting news coverage or even putting a news organization out of business has never been greater. This book explores historical and contemporary issues relating to libel suits against media organizations, emphasizing the consequences of the development of libel law for the First Amendment. It also considers the spe-cial problems that broadcasters have with libel suits and their potentially in-hibiting effect on television news coverage. Labunski traces the development of libel law largely from 1964, when the Supreme Court entered the libel arena for the first time and began a twenty-year effort to develop standards that are fair to both sides. He de-scribes the hostile environment which journalists must enter when they de-fend themselves in court. He also demonstrates the complexity and inconsis-tency that have resulted from the state-by-state creation of libel standards. Labunski offers suggestions, some more easily accomplished than others, that will help us get out of the libel "morass" which twenty years of Su-preme Court activity and lower court litigation have produced. This book will be of particular value to students of the First Amendment, communica-tion scholars, working journalists, and anyone who wants to better under-stand the complex development of libel laws and the effect of libel suits on news coverage."--Provided by publisher.

One of the nation's leading First Amendment attorneys provides media counsel with up-to-date information on how to avoid litigation, the andquot;public person, andquot; settlement and pretrial tactics, winning trial tactics and cost minimization techniques; with ample case analysis, including the landmark case Moldea v. New York Times Co. By Bruce W. Sanford. Libel and Privacy by Bruce W. Sanford explains how the U.S. Supreme Court is now approaching constitutional libel law and setting the boundaries for invasion of privacy suits. Comprehensive coverage of all key topics includes: Establishing effective techniques to avoid litigation by following the four-step review process In-depth treatment of andquot;public personandquot; Valuable settlement and pretrial tactics Winning trial tactics and cost minimization techniques Analysis of recent cases and new developments including those in the emerging cyber-like area Discussion of the landmark case Moldea v. New York Times Co. -- which the author argued and won An illustration of the legal and factual criteria governing the measurement of damages in libel actions And more