Winter/Spring 2017 Silha Bulletin

Volume 22, Number 2

Below is the Table of Contents for the Winter/Spring edition of the Silha Bulletin.  Click on the title to read the full article.

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Cover Story: Media Face Several Challenges During President Trump’s First Months In Office
On Jan. 20, 2017, Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 45th president of the United States.  

Media Ethics: Ethical Questions Debated after Buzzfeed Publishes Dossier Containing Controversial Unverified Claims about President Trump
Shortly before President Trump’s inauguration in January 2017, Buzzfeed published an article featuring a lengthy dossier detailing ties between the Russian government and the Trump campaign.  

National Security: President Obama Commutes Chelsea Manning’s Sentence, Pardons Gen. James E. Cartwright, Takes No Action on Edward Snowden
On Jan. 17, 2017, President Barack Obama commuted most of the remaining prison sentence of Chelsea Manning, a former army intelligence analyst who was convicted of leaking details of American military and diplomatic activities to WikiLeaks in 2010.  

Supreme Court News: Neil Gorsuch Sworn in as Newest Supreme Court Justice
On April 10, 2017, Neil M. Gorsuch became the U.S. Supreme Court’s 113th justice, filling the seat formerly held by Justice Antonin Scalia, who died in February 2016.  

National Security: WikiLeaks Publishes Documents Revealing CIA Hacking Tools, Faces Government Blowback
In early March 2017, several news outlets reported that WikiLeaks had published thousands of documents that appeared to expose hacking tools that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) uses in its spying and espionage efforts.

FCC: New FCC Chairman Signals Change in Direction for Agency
On Jan. 23, 2017, The Verge reported that President Donald Trump announced that he was elevating Commissioner Ajit Pai to chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). 

Reporter’s Privilege: Filmmaker and Journalists Face Subpoena Threats, Newsroom Searches, and Orders to Testify
During late 2016 and early 2017, reporter’s rights to protect their confidential sources, as well as published and unpublished information, were considered by two states and a military court.  

Data Privacy: Federal Government, Minnesota Court of Appeals Address Data Privacy Issues
During late 2016 and early 2017, data privacy arose at both the state and federal government levels.  

International News: British Press and Reform Advocates Continue to Battle over Questions of Regulation
Throughout 2016 and early 2017, the British print media continued to square off against press reform advocates over questions about the best way to update the United Kingdom’s press regulation system. 

State Law Updates: Minnesota and New York Consider Media Law Questions Involving the Internet and Privacy
During the spring of 2017, a Minnesota county judge, the New York State Assembly, and the Minnesota Supreme Court addressed media law questions involving online issues.  

Cameras in Courtrooms: Congress Revives Legislation to Permit Cameras in Supreme Court, Federal Courts
During early 2017, the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate once again considered legislation that would permit the use of television cameras during U.S. Supreme Court arguments and during the proceedings of lower federal courts.  

Online Speech: Backpage Closes Adult Content Section after Government Scrutiny
On Jan. 9, 2017, Backpage, an online classified advertising website, announced that it would no longer publish adult services advertisements on its website.  

Silha Center Events: Silha Center Spring Forum Addresses Ethical Challenges Related to Fake News
On April 24, 2017, more than 100 community members, journalists, journalism students, and professors gathered at the 2017 Silha Center Spring Forum titled “Making News or Faking news?  Ethical Journalism in a Post-Truth Era” to discuss the proliferation of “fake news” — false and misleading content mean to appear as a legitimate news story that circulates on social media and Internet websites in general.