Communication Law in America

Communication Law in America is a comprehensive, easy-to-follow overview of the complicated ways in which U.S. law determines who may say what to (and about) whom. It covers the usual content- libel, invasion of privacy, copyright and trademark, access to government information, advertising, electronic media- all the while giving readers a sense of how and why this country has come to weigh freedom of speech above competing freedoms far more often than in other Western democracies.This fourth edition of the well-received text boasts over 300 new citations, including discussion of a dozen U. S. Supreme Court decisions handed down since the previous edition.The nearly 200 still photos and over 80 videos on the author-maintained website - generally not images of litigants but of the actual artifacts (TV and movie scenes, advertisements, news reports) that led to the law suits- have always represented dramatic added value to students and professors alike. The new edition includes 35 new visual elements, including 20 videos. The text also offers a new section on how the First Amendment applies to special populations, including students, government employees in general, and the military in particular.