A Web site for students and friends of journalism
© 2010 William A. Mulligan, Ph.D. All rights reserved.
Professor of Journalism, former department chairman
California State University, Long Beach
430__
430 Course objectives
The following learning objectives will enable the successful student in this course to develop:
1. The ability to understand the journalist's or public relations practitioner's legal role in the preparation of materials for publication and broadcast.
2. The legal judgment and tools needed for story and photographic publication.
3. An understanding of legal issues facing professional journalists and public relations practitioners with a focus on the First Amendment.
4. An awareness of media laws that affect mass communications in California.
5. An understanding of legal issues — including issues of libel, privacy, freedom of information, fair trial, copyright — facing professional journalists and public relations practitioners.
Tests
The course is divided into three units with three unit exams on the lectures
and readings. So, the final exam is not comprehensive. However, the
final exam usually includes questions on the U.S. Supreme Court, which
is covered early in the semester. No notebooks or other study aids may
be brought into the classroom on the of an exam.
The instructor reserves the
right to reschedule a test to a later date. It is the student’s
responsibility to know if a test date has been rescheduled. Quizzes are
usually each week.
Grades
Each letter grade will be converted to points on a scale of 1 to
100. All scores will be added and averaged at the end of the semester.
Usually, grades of 90-100 equal an A; 80-89, B; and 70-79, C.
And,
usually, assignments/activities, 15 percent; news quizzes equal 10
percent of your grade; Tests 1, 2, 20 percent each; Exam, 25 percent;
attendance (including being late or leaving room), 10 percent.
A — Performance has been at
the highest level, showing sustained excelence in meeting all course
requirements and exhibiting an unusual degree of intellectual
initiative.
B — Performance of the
student has been at a high level, showing consistent and effective
achievement in meeting course requirements.
C — Performance of the student has been at an adequate level, meeting the basic requirements of the course.
D — Performance of the student has been less than adequate, meeting only minimum course requirements.
F — Performance of the
student has been such that minimal course requirements have not been
met. A final grade of F may be assigned as the result of cheating or
plagiarism.
Students may write a term
paper and/or a legislative report/legal news Weblog. If a student
decides to write a term paper and/or class report or Weblog, those
grades will be averaged with Tests 1, 2. Students will sign a class
contract that outlines the work required. Contracts will be available
by the fourth class.
Late assignments not accepted.
Assignments/activities are scheduled throughout the session, including
random review questions on the readings.
The professor is required to comply with university and class shutdown days for furloughs of staff and faculty, due to the state budget crisis. The furlough days for this class are noted in the schedule.
Unit 1
Week 1 — Jan. 26, 28 (furlough day; no class)
Course Overview; First Amendment: History and Philosophy (readings: text, Chapter 1; APA, Chapter 1-2). Note: This style book isrequired for all assignments/activities in course. Use of another style book will result in rejection of the work.
Week 2 — Feb. 2, 4
History and Philosophy; Obscenity (readings: Chapter 10, text and supplement); Federal, State Court Systems. Reading in text, Chapter 2; APA, 3. Required library session is Thursday in the University Library (zero is recorded for this activity if absent), with the journalism librarian, Carol Perruso-Brown, in Room 113, Spidell.
Week 3 — Feb. 9 (furlough day; no class), 11
Sedition: History and Cases; Prior Restraint: Licensing and Taxation (Reading: text, Chapter 3); APA, 4. For optional contract students, initial term paper and report/blog proposals with outlines due Thursday.
Week 4 — Feb. 16, 18
Broadcast Regulation: Equal Times, Personal Attack. (readings: text, supplement, Chapter 11). Corporate Speech, Advertising, Readings: text Chapter 13. APA, 6. Unit 1 review assignment/activity due Thursday, as instructed. First quiz Tuesday.
Week 5 — Feb. 23, 25 (furlough day; no class)
Unit 1 Test review is Tuesday.
Week 6 — March 2, 4
Unit 1 test, all previous, is Tuesday. News quiz is before test.
Unit 2, Thursday.
Libel: Definitions, Elements and Overview of Defenses (reading, text, Chapter 4). APA, 7. For contract (optional) students, final term paper and report/blog proposals with outlines due Thursday.
Week 7 — March 9, 11
Libel (continued); (readings, Chapter 4; APA, 7.
Week 8 — March 16, 18 (furlough day; no class)
Libel (continued); privacy: Prosser's Four Torts, readings, text, Chapter 5; APA, 8. Unit 2 libel review assignment/activity due Tuesday.
Week 9 — March 23, 25
Privacy (continued); Test 2 review on libel and privacy is Tuesday. Unit 2 privacy review assignment/activity due Thursday. APA, 9.
March 29-April 2, Spring Recess.
Week 10 — April 6 (furlough day; no class), April 8
Test 2 (libel and privacy) on Thursday.
Unit 3
Week 11 — April 13, 15
Contempt: Civil and Criminal (readings: text, Chapter 8. Free Press vs. Fair Trial, (reading: text , Chapter 7. For contract (optional) students, draft version of report/blog due Tuesday; draft version of term paper due Thursday.
Week 12 — April 20, 22
Freedom of information: Federal, reading, text, Chapter 9.
Week 13 — April 27, 29
Copyright (readings, text, Chapter 6. For contract (optional) students, final version of report/blog due April 29. For contract (optional) students, final copy of term paper due April 27. Class presentations will be scheduled for any A-contract students.
Week 14 — May 4, 6 (university furlough day; no class)
Student press: readings, text, Chapter 14. Unit 3 review assignment/activity due Tuesday, the last day to submit assignments/activities.
Week 15 — May 11 (furlough day; no class), 13
Class presentations, if any, and final exam review, May 13.
Unit 3 Test is the Final Exam, which is scheduled during Exam Week, May 17-22, on Tuesday, May 18, from 2:45-4:45 p.m.
This schedule is subject to change.
Please void cell phones, iPods, arriving late and leaving class (attendance points may be deducted). If emergency, see instructor. Plagiarism equals zero in course. CSULB requires attendance. Documentation required for excused absences. Department policy information is available on syllabus addendum. Additional information and updates are posted. The schedule is subject to change.
The U.S. Supreme Court, Washington, D.C. —Wm. A. Mulligan. © Copyright 2007. All rights reserved
This course examines the historical background and development of freedom of speech and freedom of the press and the limitations that have been imposed on those freedoms by statute, by common law and by interpretation of the courts (state and federal). Special attention will be given to the legal systems (legal process and legal terms) and statutes and cases of the United States and California.
The journalist or public relations specialist needs legal knowledge to write material for dissemination and to face any legal challenges over this material. The major goal of this course is to provide the student with a set of guidelines that the student may apply in her or his career as a professional journalist or public relations specialist. The student must maintain currency in mass communications law, because the law is dynamic.
This is a lecture course that related includes assignments/activities.
Requirements
Student responsibilities are to: attend all classes; take complete notes; read and study the assignments; and prepare for and take the quizzes and tests. The University Library session on journalism law legal research is required.
News-review quizzes in Journalism 430 can be expected each week on the previous week's news and readings. Quiz news topics are chosen from The Wall Street Journal. Quizzes usually begin in third week. (See Schedule.)
A missed quiz shall result in an F for that day’s work. Class attendance is required under the university's attendance policy. Excused absences for serious and compelling reasons require proper documentation, which will be determined by the instructor. Grade points are deducted for unexcused absences, tardiness or class disruption (cell phone or iPod use, leaving the room during lecture etc).
DiversityThis course recognizes the contributions of ethnic (New York Times vs. Sullivan) and religious minorities (Lovell vs. City of Griffin), senior citizens, gays
and lesbians (Diaz vs. Oakland Tribune), and other groups, and, it incorporates the professional standards of fairness as outlined in The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual and the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics.
Readings
Required:
1. Wayne Overbeck, Genelle Belmus, “Major Principles of Media Law,” 2010 edition, bottom left.
2. “Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association” (APA), sixth edition (2010).
The official APA stylebook, right, is required for writing reports and term papers. Other stylebooks are not accepted, including the generic version with different styles or online versions of APA. (Note: APA is not the AP or Associated Press Stylebook used in the skills classes for newspaper and magazine writing, which does not require formal citations.)
Recommended:
The Wall Street Journal (available through the class). Can be used for news quizzes and assignments/activities.
Overbeck, Wayne, "California Supplement," available for download by e-mail request.
Tests
The course is divided into three units with three unit exams on the lectures
and readings. So, the final exam is not comprehensive. However, the final exam usually includes questions on the U.S. Supreme Court, which is covered early in the semester. No notebooks or other study aids may be brought into the classroom on the of an exam.
The instructor reserves the right to reschedule a test to a later date. The student’s responsibility is to know if a test date has been rescheduled. Quizzes are usually each week.
