Archive for ‘Current Events’

This is a couple of weeks old, but it applies to the Thursday discussion. Plus it applies to Danny’s research paper.

In my mind, the missing element here is identification. You can’t libel an entire race or ethnic group. This isn’t libel; it’s bad form. More »

Must have a hearing to close juvenile proceedings in Ohio. More »

I’m an admirer of Kenneth Starr, dean of the Pepperdine School of Law. But I have to disagree on this one. Starr is petitioning the Supreme Court in a case from Alaska, essentially arguing that schools can punish students for off campus speech. More »

This may be about as confusing as an NYPD episode, but in March the Federal Communications Commission found profane language was used during the CBS program “The Early Show” in 2004, incidents involving Cher and Nicole Richie on the “Billboard Music Awards” shows broadcast by Fox in 2002 and 2003, and various episodes of the ABC show “NYPD Blue” that aired in 2003. Now it wants to reexamine that ruling after hearing from the producers. More »

When I agree with Al Gore, I should most likely point it out. He makes a good point about the international direction of media ownership. The flip side is the Internet, which threatens the power of tradiational media as long as it remains unregulated and unregulatable. More »

It looks like comedian Jackie Mason is relying on appropriation of likeness to sue the Jews for Jesus organization. I’d love to see the pamphlet. Oy vay!

In Tinker v. Des Moines, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled a school district erred when it punished students for protesting the Vietnam war by wearing black arm bands. In Bethel v. Fraser, the Court ruled another district was within its rights to punish a student who used sexual innuendos in a speech to the student body.

The difference was the potential for disruption. The anti-gay t-shirt case referred to in this story ignores disruption and considers infringement of “the rights of others.” Odd. More »

This is interesting in that its based on rules that limit what a member of the Texas judiciary can say about a colleague. More »

I don’t know anyone who would argue the media should never be forced to reveal any information they receive from sources, though the legislation that’s been pending for a year in the House and Senate calls for a complete privilege for sources’ names. More »