Week 3: Discussion 1 and 2

This assignment must be completed on or before March 8, 2018 by 10pm PST. There are four files. 

Readings

1. In order to successfully complete this week’s assignments, read the following chapters from the text, Mass Media Law:

·

Chapter 4 – Libel: Establishing a Case

· Chapter 5 – Libel: Proof of Fault

· Chapter 6 – Libel: Defense and Damages

2. In order to successfully complete this week’s discussion, “Is This Libel?,” read the following article:

· Errors Cast Doubt on a Baseball Memoir (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

1. To successfully complete this week’s assignment, read the following article:

· Davey, M. (2014, July 29).

$1.8 million for Ventura in defamation case (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/30/us/jesse-ventura-chris-kyle-navy-seal-book-lawsuit.html?_r=1

Recommended Websites

1. In order to successfully complete this week’s assignments, it is recommended that you review the material at the following website:

·

MLRC (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

(Review the public resources/FAQs on libel and libel suits, paying particular attention to top awards granted in libel/slander/defamation cases.)

2. In order to add to your understanding of journalism code of ethics, it is recommended that you review the material at the following websites:

·

Society of Professional Journalists: SPJ Code of Ethics (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

·

RTDNA – Radio Television Digital News Association (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

·

National Press Photographers Association (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

·

PRSA Code of Ethics (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Week 3 – Discussion 1

33 unread replies.33 replies.

Your initial discussion thread is due on Day 3 (Thursday) and you have until Day 7 (Monday) to respond to your classmates. Your grade will reflect both the quality of your initial post and the depth of your responses. Refer to the Discussion Forum Grading Rubric under the Settings icon above for guidance on how your discussion will be evaluated.

Is This Libel?

After reading the assigned Chapters 4 through 6 of Mass Media Law and

Errors Cast Doubt on a Baseball Memoir (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

, answer the following questions:

· Identify the one best proof of fault you believe plaintiffs can make in this case?

· What is the one best defense you believe the author has for the memoir?

· Do you believe that Matt McCarthy committed libel or defamation in the publication of Odd Man Out? Why or why not?

Your initial post should be at least 250 words in length. Support your claims with examples from the assigned and/or recommended resources, and properly cite any references. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7.

Week 3 – Discussion 2

44 unread replies.44 replies.

Your initial discussion thread is due on Day 3 (Thursday) and you have until Day 7 (Monday) to respond to your classmates. Your grade will reflect both the quality of your initial post and the depth of your responses. Refer to the Discussion Forum Grading Rubric under the Settings icon above for guidance on how your discussion will be evaluated.

Public versus Private Figures and Libel

After an unusual but heavy snowstorm hit Portland, Oregon in December and paralyzed the city for several days, citizens and the press alike criticized the city’s public works department for the failure to keep the roads clear. The Portland Patriot was especially vigorous in its condemnation. Here is part of one editorial that appeared in the local paper:

“Here it is the 21st Century and the city’s road crews can’t even handle a simple snowstorm. How many dollars were lost by businesses because customers couldn’t get downtown? How many cars were damaged and pedestrians injured because of the slippery roads and sidewalks? And how many members of the road crews sat on their duffs, in cafes, drinking coffee and eating donuts, while their plows were parked for long periods on the streets outside, while the rest of us struggled to go on with life? Their actions were criminal, causing untold harm to hundreds of people. Supervisors reported all crews were working 16 hours a day. But there is ample evidence that many of these workers simply sat on the sidelines, waiting for the snow and ice to melt. It is time to take action against these incompetent clods; fire the whole bunch, Portland!”

Eighty-seven workers were employed by the city to remove the ice and snow. Seven of them file a libel suit against the Patriot. They argue that the charges that their behavior was criminal, that they drank coffee and ate donuts rather than do their jobs, and that they are incompetent, are defamatory.

The Patriot raises two arguments in its defense. First, it argues that the city workers are public officials and will have to show evidence of actual malice to prevail. Also, the Patriot argues that the group of 87 is too large; that individual members of the group cannot prove identification.

Answer the following questions:

· How would a court rule on the Patriot’s arguments in its defense?

· What would be the basis for the court’s rulings?

Your initial post should be at least 250 words in length. Support your claims with examples from the assigned and/or recommended resources, and properly cite any references. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7.

Week Three Learning Outcomes

This week students will:

1. Analyze the elements of libel, including publication, identification, defamation, and falsity.

2. Analyze case law related to libel and recognize the implications to libel cases in modern day, including how mass media technology may impact libel and defamation rulings.

Overview

Assignment

Due Date

Format

Grading Percent

Discussion 1: Is This Libel?

Day 3
(1st post)

Discussion

3

Discussion 2: Public versus Private Figures and Libel

Day 3
(1st post)

Discussion

3

Assignment: Public No More: The Ventura Defamation Case

Day 7

Assignment

10