Journalism Assignment 2

Writing Assignment: Discuss a Legal/Ethical Issue

Write a paper based on a real court case involving a newspaper. You may not use Sullivan v. NYT, but all other cases are approved. Select one of the following terms to focus on.

1. Libel
2. First Amendment
3. Freedom of Information Act
4. Invasion of privacy
5. Access/trespass
6. Copyright law
7. First serial rights
8. Simultaneous rights
9. Privacy Protection Act
10. Surreptitious reporting

Please find in a newspaper an actual documented court case or an article connected to one of the terms above. Use a search engine to find a plethora of this type of documented court case examples.

In your report, do the following.

1. Examine the term you selected.
2. Define the term and relate it to journalism and newspapers.
3. Using your court case example, explain how this issue became a legal matter for that newspaper.
4. Explore what could have been prevented, who won the case and why, and what this meant for future newspapers.
5. Your paper should clearly explore the term you selected and its implications through the actual court case you examine.
6. Your paper should be three pages long.
7. Your paper should follow APA formatting.