Volume 20, Number 1
Below is the Table of Contents for the Fall 2014 edition of the Silha Bulletin. Click on the title to read the full article.
Bulletin Fall 2014: Volume 20, No. 1
Download full text (PDF)
Cover Story: Debates Continue Over Net Neutrality as FCC Nears Decision on an “Open Internet”
During the summer and fall of 2014, federal policy makers and regulators continued to debate the role of “net neutrality” in managing Internet communication.
Journalism Technology: “Drone Journalism” Presents Possibilities But Faces Legal Obstacles
Some journalists looking for a new or cheaper way to gather information have begun to look to the skies.
Online Speech: Supreme Court Considers Whether Facebook Posts Can Constitute “True Threats”
On Dec. 1, 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Elonis v. United States, which considered how courts should define what types of statements can constitute a “true threat.”
Press Freedom: Attorney General Holder Leaves Problematic Legacy on Press Rights and Civil Liberty
On Sept. 25, 2014, The New York Times reported that President Barack Obama announced during a White House press conference that U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder had chosen to resign from his position.
News Media Challenges: Problems Continue for News Coverage of Ferguson Shooting after Grand Jury Decision
On Nov. 24. 2014, St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch announced that a grand jury had chosen not to indict police officer Darren Wilson for fatally shooting Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old African American.
Law Enforcement Conflicts: Federal Investigators’ Deceptive Use of Media Raises Concerns
Recent Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) actions have raised concerns regarding undercover operations on the Internet.
Privacy: Dissemination of Hacked Online Photos Demonstrates Challenges of Digital Privacy
Two recent high profile cases of hackers stealing photos from online databases have highlighted the difficulty of maintaining privacy in an online environment.
National Security: Government Surveillance Critics Target Broad Authority of Executive Order 12333
On July 18, 2014, The Washington Post published an op-ed column by former State Department employee John Tye in which he contended that “Americans should be even more concerned” about United States government surveillance justified under Executive Order 12333 (EO 12333) than any other more widely discussed authorities.
Defamation: Tenth Circuit Dismisses Claims That News Program Violated Insurance Broker’s Civil Rights, Allows Defamation Claims to Proceed
On July 9, 2014, the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit held that a federal district court improperly dismissed an insurance broker’s defamation lawsuit against a news program making allegations that his training seminars taught predatory techniques for selling annuities to senior citizens.
Privacy: Law Enforcement, Tech Companies Clash on Built-In Privacy Features
On Sept. 17, 2014, Apple announced that its newest mobile operating system would make it technically impossible to comply with law enforcement or intelligence agency warrants for password-protected user data.
Silha Center Events: 29th Annual Silha Lecture Examines the Right to Access Government Information in the Wake of National Security and Privacy Concerns
First Amendment attorney David A. Schulz argued that “determining the proper level of government transparency is critical to how we proceed as a nation,” during the 29th annual Silha Lecture.
Silha Center Events: Silha Center Co-Sponsors Forum on Ethics of “Pointergate” Broadcast
On Dec. 8, 2014, the Minnesota Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), in collaboration with the Twin Cities Chapters of the National Association of Black Journalist and the Asian American Journalists Association, the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, the Silha Center for the Study of Media Ethics and Law, and the Minnesota Journalism Center, hosted a forum on the ethics of a news story prepared by Twin Cities ABC-affiliate KSTP, which was dubbed “Pointergate” and received national criticism.