The Silha Bulletin is published three times a year: late fall, late spring, and late summer. It's available here and through the University of Minnesota Digital Conservancy. The site will allow you to read the current issue of the Bulletin, as well as search past issues.
If you would like to be notified when a new issue of the Silha Bulletin has been published online, or receive an electronic copy of the Bulletin, please email us at: [email protected]. Please include “Silha Bulletin” in the subject line. Alternatively, you may call the Silha Center at 612-625-3421.
Our mission at the Silha Center for the Study of Media Ethics and Law is to provide high-quality, comprehensive overview, discussion, and analysis of current issues in media law and ethics. Thank you for reading the Bulletin.
2025 Fall: Volume 31, Number 1
Below is the Table of Contents for the 2025 Fall edition of the Silha Bulletin. Click on the title to read the full article.
Download full text (pdf)
Cover Story: Pentagon Changes Press Policy; Exodus of Established Journalism Organizations from Press Corps Replaced By Right Wing Outlets
Since being confirmed as the Secretary of Defense on Jan. 24, 2025, Pete Hegseth has repeatedly acted to limit news media access to the Pentagon.
FCC: ABC Temporarily Suspends Jimmy Kimmel Live! in Response to Pressure from FCC Chair Brendan Carr, Raising Important Issues of Government Interference with Broadcast Media
On Sept. 10, 2025, right wing activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated while speaking to an audience at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
Media Ethics: Firings of Journalists in the Wake of Charlie Kirk Assassination Raise Legal and Ethical Questions
Following the Sept. 10, 2025, assassination of the conservative activist and commentator Charlie Kirk, several prominent journalists were fired or suspended for comments they made about the killing, raising pressing questions of journalism ethics and press freedom.
Attacks on the Press: Trump Lashes Out at Female Reporters, Prompting Accusations of Misogyny From Press Advocacy and Journalism Ethics Groups
Although President Trump has always had a contentious relationship with the press, and has often insulted reporters and media members, beginning in November 2025, he began to lash out more frequently at women reporters in particular, using what critics say is misogynistic and gendered language.
Corporate Influence on Media: Paramount Acquires The Free Press; Bari Weiss Named Editor-in-Chief of CBS News
On Oct. 6, 2025, Paramount, the parent company of CBS, announced that it had acquired the independent new media company The Free Press, which was founded by the journalist and commentator Bari Weiss.
Defamation: Trump Sues BBC for Defamation and Violation of Florida Consumer Protection Law Over Alleged Misleading Editing
According to reporting from The New York Times, on Dec. 15, 2025, President Donald Trump sued the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for defamation and violation of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act (FUDTPA), Fla. Stat. § 501.201, in relation to a documentary film released by the network in 2024 entitled “Trump: A Second Chance?”
Defamation: Trump and Nunes Pursue Questionable Libel Claims
Three defamation suits were brought against the news media in mid-2025, two by President Trump and one by Trump Media CEO Devin Nunes followed a pattern seen often in recent years: high-profile allegations against the press, accompanied by demands for exorbitant damages.
Defamation: AI Mistakes and Hallucinations Raise Novel Defamation Law Issues
As AI continues to evolve, a new question for defamation law emerges: what happens when the defamatory “speaker” is not a person at all, but a large language model?
Media Ethics: Former CNN Reporter Jim Acosta’s Interview of AI-Generated Avatar of Parkland Shooting Victim Raises Ethical Concerns
On Aug. 4, 2025, former CNN correspondent Jim Acosta shared a video on his independent Substack in which he purported to “interview” an AI-generated model of Joaquin Oliver, who was killed in the 2018 Parkland school shooting.
Free Press: News Organizations Challenge Tennessee Buffer Zone Law
In a federal lawsuit filed on July 22, 2025, a group of seven news media organizations represented by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP) challenged the constitutionality of a new Tennessee “buffer zone” law that makes it a misdemeanor to come within 25 feet of a law enforcement officer after being told to stop when the officer is lawfully engaged in official duties involving a traffic stop, active investigation, or threat to public safety.
Free Press: County Must Pay to Settle Following Illegal Raid on the Marion County Record
On Nov. 11, 2025, Marion County, Kan. commissioners approved a deal to pay more than $3 million to Marion County Record and issue a formal apology for a 2023 raid that was conducted allegedly in retaliation for the paper’s reporting.
Journalists in Danger: Bias Motivated Attack Highlights Threat to Journalists in Current Political Climate
On Dec. 18, 2024, 39-year-old Marine Corps Veteran Patrick Egan was working as a cab driver and followed KKCO reporter Ja’Ronn Alex for about forty miles from Delta to Grand Junction, Colo.
Free Press: Israeli Ban on Foreign Media Extended, Despite Ceasefire; QuestionsRemain About Press Access and Violence Against Journalists
As The New York Times reported, on Dec. 9, 2025, the Supreme Court of Israel once again delayed a challenge to Israel’s ban on foreign media entering the Gaza strip, marking the ninth time the Court has allowed the challenge to be delayed.