Volume 13, Number 3
Below is the Table of Contents for the Spring 2008 edition of the Silha Bulletin. Click on the title to read the full article.
Bulletin Spring 2008
Volume 13, Number 3
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Cover Story: ‘Preferred Position?’ The Reporter’s Privilege in the 21st Century and Beyond
Is there any institution the American public loves to hate more than the news media?
Article: Silha Bulletin Guide to Journalist’s Privilege: Federal Privilege Question Is Facing a Crossroads
In mid-April 2008, as the U.S. Congress was poised to consider passing the “Free Flow of Information Act of 2007,” a federal law that would, in a limited fashion, protect journalists from compelled disclosure of confidential sources or information by courts, prosecutors, or parties in lawsuits, the frontrunner candidates in the 2008 presidential race announced their support for the legislation.
Access: Federal ‘Sunshine’ Laws Move Closer to Passage
Two “sunshine” bills designed to make federal courts more open to the public by providing for cameras in courtrooms and reducing the number of sealed cases and settlements continued their journey through Congress when the Senate Committee on the Judiciary approved both bills on March 6, 2008.
Access: Revised MLB Press Credential Agreement ‘May Be Satisfactory’
The Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) accepted Major League Baseball’s credential agreement April 8, 2008 after nearly six weeks of negotiations concerning game photos and video clips posted on the Internet.
Media Ethics: Times’ Story about Military Analysts Makes Ripples, Not Waves
An April 20, 2008 New York Times story revealed that the Pentagon encouraged so-called military analysts to put a positive spin on news coverage of the Iraq war.
Media Ethics: Los Angeles Times Retracts Story Based on Fake Documents
A Los Angeles Times story published in March 2008 that purported to have new information about a 1994 attack that helped launch a bloody bicoastal war among high-profile rappers was found to be based on faked FBI documents and questionable sources, embarrassing the newspaper as it retracted and apologized for the story.
New Media: Federal Court Decisions Add Uncertainty to Internet Law
Two spring 2008 cases asked federal courts to interpret a law designed to limit the liability for Internet service providers when their users engage in prohibited speech online in the context of federal fair housing standards.
New Media: Federal Court Upholds Rejection of Minnesota Video Game Law
On March 17, 2008, a three-judge panel of the 8th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals upheld a Minnesota federal district judge’s ruling that a Minnesota law banning minors from renting or purchasing violent video games is unconstitutional.
International Media/Endangered Journalists: China: Prelude to Olympics and Crisis in Tibet Elicit Criticism and Nationalism
Controversy has flared during the prelude to the 2008 Beijing Olympic games as free press advocacy groups have criticized China’s human rights record of media and free speech restrictions.
International Media/Endangered Journalists: Jailed Journalists Feed in Iraq and Zimbabwe; Reuters Cameraman Killed by Israeli Missile in Gaza
Iraqi Associated Press (AP) photographer Bilal Hussein was released by American military officials on April 14, 2008 after two years of imprisonment for allegedly working with insurgents in Iraq.
Student Media: Daily Nebraskan Story Draws Governor’s Office Ire; Federal Judge Finds Virginia Alcohol Ad Restrictions Unconstitutional
Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman’s office considered banning Daily Nebraskan reporters from his press conferences and excluding the student newspaper from a media e-mail list after it revealed in an April 3, 2008 story that a convicted murderer participating in a work-release program is a tour guide at the governor’s mansion.
Libel: U.K. Appeals Court Overturns Restaurant Review Libel Ruling
The Court of Appeal for Northern Ireland overturned a ￡25,000 jury award March 10, 2008 for a Belfast restaurant owner who claimed he had been defamed by an unflattering restaurant review in the Irish News.
Silha News: Forum Explores Journalistic Independence, War and Politics
According to Edward Wasserman, rather than strive to act independently, journalists should find the “ethically permissible” conflicts of interest among contemporary journalism’s necessary dependencies and obligations.