#legalaspectsofmedia

The past month we spent time in the Legal Aspects of Media course. I have never had any law course of any kind in my education. This was more than fantastic. Reading court cases and spending time analyzing the proceedings was something I grew to really enjoy. One of the biggest takeaways was to really spend time digesting and thinking about these cases and how they affect other proceedings. Once I reread everything 10 times I think I finally got the jest of it.

My favorite assignment was week two where we looked the Sullivan v New York Times and Gertz v Welch cases in a research project. First, it was beneficial to understand how our court system lay the foundation for their interpretations throughout the years and much of that started with Sullivan v New York Times. Second, knowing the difference between public people and figures vs private citizens is helpful as we see defamation suits in the news.

I found the week on copyright to be of the most value. In my current job at Bethany Lutheran College, I oversee a studio program. Students make work all the time. I never fully new that copyright exists once you make something. Of course, filling the proper copyright paperwork helps fight copyright infringement but it is very beneficial to share that with students. Plus, in a world where people think everything is fair game to use, they need to be mindful of fair use and other cases to properly credit works of others. It’s not the wild west, copyright is very real and there are real consequences for misuse.

We broadcast sports on a regular basis. Having this knowledge will help as we look to further educate ourselves on music law and what the social media platforms say we can or cannot use.

After taking Legal Aspects of Media this month, I have found so many new tools to use. I have a few assignments that I really enjoyed. I learned how to create a Freedom of Information Act request, I also learned how to register and search the copyright office database, and I was able to create a press release for an event. If I had to choose one assignment I enjoyed this month, it would have to be creating the press release. I had the freedom to write about any event I wanted and learned how to effectively put the content together.

 The topics covered this month consisted of copyrights, commercial speech, freedom of information act, defamation, deceptive advertising, and press releases. I find each topic helpful because they all cover the legal aspect of Public Relations. There are laws that need to be followed and as a communications professional I need to be aware of the rules and laws that take place when releasing content. It is important to make sure every piece of information that is posted or said is 100% true and you have evidence to back up your claims.

 This month has taught me how to effectively research content. Looking at the week two assignment, New York Times v. Sullivan and Gertz v. Welch, both cases were centered around information that was considered defamation allegations. Avoiding issues like that would require research, accurate information, interviews from reliable sources, and unbiased content that does not come off as judgmental. Situations like this can be avoided if I am releasing truthful reliable information.

My favorite assignment in this course was actually the discussion board for Week 2 on defamation where we got to pick the story we used for a case study. (Oddly enough, this was the week I felt I struggled the most with understanding the information.) It was more interesting to me & easier for me to relate to the information since I could relate it to a subject of my choosing. If you know me, you know my life revolves around sports, so when I can actually relate what I’m learning to a situation concerning sports it fuels my want to learn even more. In this case, it was a defamation suit concerning Rafael Nadal.

I think all of the topics we covered this month in Legal Aspects of Media; intrusion, defamation, copyright and regulating commercial speech will all be helpful throughout my Marketing & Public Relations career. In my case however, I think the copyright and regulating commercial speech will be the most useful. I now have a better understanding of how these laws apply to the many aspects of working the communications fields and how I can avoid accidentally committing either. This month has made me realize just how important it is to check your facts, have support for any facts you choose to use and making sure you are within the limitations of the law.  

The knowledge I acquired this month will help me when creating my own work or when going over something my company may want me to publish. I will be more cautious when using facts or information provided to me by someone else. If I cannot properly credit the information given to me, then I know I should not be using it. There are far too many potential legal issues I could face for publishing false or deceiving information, which are not worth the risk to my career or to the company I may be working for.

Back in Month One, in our Mastery class, we had to write about or expectations for each class. Here were my thoughts at the time on what I would learn, they were actually pretty close:

·  This class will give me a better understanding about different media legal issues due to the expansion of digital and mobile technologies and how they affect Public Relations.

·  This course will teach me how to properly handle those issues and whether or not current laws & regulations apply to digital media.

Legal Aspects of Media

As much as I don’t want to say it, my favorite assignment in this course was the Research Case Study Presentation. It was an extreme amount of work, and really tested my patience. It shows that I can do and excel at any type of work. I was also not familiar with keynote presentations. So I definitely found it interesting to learn and record a voiceover for this assignment. 

I think the most important topic that we covered for me would be copyright. I really didn't realize how important and serious it was before taking this class. This course really highlighted the dos, don'ts, and the right steps to take if using someone else's work. Even if you unintentionally take something without knowing, you can still be held accountable. This was definitely important information to know.

I would hope by taking this class that I would never find myself in any type of legal situation. However, in preparation of any legal issues that should arise, I know that I definitely won’t panic. 

In the beginning, I really didn’t know what to expect in this course. When I read through the course materials and saw the assignments that we had to complete each week, I felt a bit overwhelmed. It definitely scared me when I saw a section on if you were repeating this course again.  I was worried about the unknown, but I must say now, that this course has gone beyond my expectations. 

Before taking Legal Aspects of Media, I thought I understood the basic concepts of media law. Midway into week one, reality reminded me otherwise. There was a sense of defeat on my end, because of pass failures in legal courses. In the back of mind this one would be no different. It wasn’t because I never applied myself; a lack of understanding for legal terms was the bigger issue.

My favorite assignment in the course was on defamation. Often times we say things through print, social media or broadcast journalism about individuals without a clue as to how much legal trouble can arise. I have learned through this course the fine line a journalist must walk to avoid defamation. Printing or publishing negative material can be detrimental without the proper references.

Through reference materials, case studies and video lectures, I feel confident that I acquired enough knowledge to handle and avoid legal issues. Copyright infringement is a law that affects journalist the most. Several journalists have developed a habit of using third party photos and videos to support their blog content. After reading horror stories from other bloggers about legal issues they faced, I am hesitant about using third party media in my blogs.

This course definitely exceeded my expectations. It also proved to be the most challenging so far. Professor Tami Maras is extremely professional, knowledgeable and fair. She does an excellent job of critiquing and providing helpful feedback. Because of this course, I have developed an entirely new light about media law. Legal courses are very essential and the knowledge gained should be embedded in the minds of all journalists.

I feel that in the last four weeks the class has met and exceeded my goal of gaining the “knowledge that will assist me in the ever changing technological world we live in today.” It provided me with not only the knowledge of our First Amendment rights and laws surrounding it, but valuable resources in case I need additional information or have any questions in the future regarding the same.

My favorite assignment in this course was our copyright discussion. Knowing copyright law is essential to my understanding of what I can share and cannot share when it comes to social media and blogging, as well as writing articles and recording podcasts. Since these things will be essential in my career as a motivational speaker and writer, understanding how copyright laws will affect my career goes a long way to helping me avoid any copyright issues in the future when sharing and including content that is not specifically my own. I also really enjoyed finding that article about PETA trying to sue on behalf of a monkey for copyright protection of the monkey’s selfie, which was fun to share for our discussion post.

Of the course topics covered this month, the one that I think will be most helpful to me as a communications professional are the copyright laws. As stated above, I think knowing and understanding those laws, and how they will affect me in my career, is essential to protecting myself from any legal issues I may encounter from sharing or using something that was protected under copyright law. It was also very helpful to learn how to register a Literary Work with the Copyright Office and fill out the Copyright Registration Form, plus how to look up copyrighted work in the Copyright Office Database.

The knowledge I acquired this month prepared me to handle potential legal issues in the communications industry by providing me with valuable content and resources regarding our First Amendment laws, what they mean, and where to find the additional resources I may need as a journalist. If I have any questions or need assistance in understanding my rights and/or gaining further information, this course provided me with the tools necessary to find the answers I am looking for. It also gave me a means of understanding how my own work and First Amendment rights are protected under those laws.

When I reflect on what I learned over this past month’s“Legal Aspects of Media” course at Full Sail University I become confident that I have a firm grasp of preventing legal issues in media. Being able to avoid as well as address legal concerns regarding content and intellectual property will put me into a position to be a strong asset to my team, company, or whomever I represent. I consider myself to be a strategist and this course material is something I will reference when I’m in question or have a concern regarding publishing content.

The first of this four-week course started off with reading about media law. Being a visual learner I can appreciate being able to watch videos gain a stronger understanding of my assignments. Watching videos about accessing government proceedings and recordings were an excellent way to learn how to make a FOIA request. The videos about intrusion and invasion of privacy were a great way to cap off my first week of class.

When I think about my favorite assignment from this course one in particular stands out and it comes from week 3, “Copyright Registration and Search”. Copyright is very important in the field I’m pursuing in film and multimedia, and learning how to research copyrighted material is key. Understanding the correct way to complete a Copyright Registration Form is key when it comes to ensuring intellectual property is protected.

Learning how to read a judicial opinion, and understanding the elements of defamation and corresponding defenses really opened my eyes about how I can prevent myself from being part of a lawsuit. It was also great to learn the difference between defamation for public officials and figures versus private persons. Being provided with key links about each state’s defamation law will put me into a position to see how Georgia differs from my home state of California.

This course met and exceeded my expectations because of the plethora of knowledge and resources I was provided and again, the video lessons were key in raising my level of confidence. When it comes to copyright, the FTC, advertising and marketing on the Internet, defamation, the Legal Aspects of Media course made me feel like I can be a great master of media.

WB Suhail