Fall 2010 Silha Bulletin

Volume 16, Number 1

Below is the Table of Contents for the Fall 2010 edition of the Silha Bulletin.  Click on the title to read the full article.

Fall 2010, Volume 16, Number 1
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Cover Story: U.S. Supreme Court Weighs California's Ban on Violent Video Game Sales
On October 18, 2010, Paul Smith, a veteran of more than a dozen Supreme Court oral arguments, spoke to an overflow crowd at the University of Minnesota’s Cowles Auditorium for the 25th Annual Silha Lecture about another case he was about to argue before the Court.         
        
Director's Note: The WikiLeaks Quandary, and a Welcome            
As the Bulletin goes to press, Julian Assange, the founder and editor-in-chief of WikiLeaks, is in custody in the United Kingdom.     
    
Media and Politics: 2010 Midterm Election Ads Spark Lawsuits; Journalists' Contributions Raise Ethical Questions       The midterm elections of 2010 saw a variety of issues involving media ethics and law: lawsuits and threatened lawsuits over campaign ads, a reporter detained by private security guards, and a revived discussion about whether reporters and other news commentators should make political contributions.     

Public Records: Courts, Officials Answer Questions Raised by Digital Communication and Public Records
E-mail 'metadata' is public in Washington; recordkeeping rules apply to social media for federal agencies. 
                                                  
Freedom of Information: Congress Revokes New FOIA Exemption for Securities and Exchange Commission        
On Oct. 4, 2010, President Barack Obama signed House Resolution 5924, the SEC Freedom of Information Restoration Act, into law.                              

Cameras in Courtrooms: Federal and State Courts Consider Proposals to Permit Cameras in Trial Proceedings    
Judges from the U.S. Supreme Court to Minnesota remain divided over issue of access. 
                             
Access: The Media and the Military: Guantanamo Access Rules Loosened; Other Guidelines Set to Limit Leaks        
Meanwhile, the Pentagon and the C.I.A. sue authors over books.                              

Access: Access Limited after California Pipeline Explosion        
Police keep reporters out; utility company cites security concerns in withholding records. 

Copyright: Law Firm’s Approach to Protecting News Media Copyrights Raises Eyebrows
Righthaven pursues bloggers and other Internet users who republish content. 
             
Copyright: Updates: Punishments for Music Copyright Infringers        
Thomas-Rasset faces million-dollar damages; judge shuts down LimeWire.    
    
International Press Freedom: Journalism Suffers Amid Drug Wars in Mexico
Journalists are skeptical about government solutions. 

International Press Freedom: International Courts Favor Newsgathering Rights
Rulings in two foreign courts — the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and the Canadian Supreme Court — favored journalists' rights to protect confidential sources in fall 2010. 
            
Media Ethics: Journalists Question Implications of Covering Quran Burning and NYC Muslim Community Center
Media sought ways to report on controversy without perpetuating it.