MCOM 4003 - Greta Wallin

 Freedom of Information Act The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is a federal law that provides the public with the right to access records of the Executive Branch of the United States Government. It was enacted in 1967 with the aim of promoting transparency and accountability in government. The law is being described as " the law that keeps citizens in the know about their government" .  The FOIA allows individuals to request records from federal agencies, including executive departments, military agencies, and independent regulatory agencies. The information that can be requested includes documents, emails, memos, and other records that are created or maintained by the agency.  One of the main principles of FOIA is that any person can make a request for information without having to provide a reason for doing so. The law also requires that agencies respond to requests in a timely manner and provide the requested information unless it is exempt from disclosure.  Ev...

 Global Media Law or Ethics The improvements in digital technology and the internet has caused changes to the media industry, allowing information to spread worldwide. Due to this, it has become more critical to develop some global media laws and ethical principles that can regulate the content being circulated across borders. This paper is going to provide an overview of global media law and ethics and their significance in today's media landscape.  Media Law  refers to the legal framework that regulates the production, distribution, and consumption of mass media content. While there are some countries that have their own specific media laws, there is a growing need for a global set of laws that can govern the media industry on a global level. One example of such law is the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights , which is guaranteeing the right to freedom of expression and information.  Another example of a global media law is the International Coven...

 Misinformation, Disinformation, and Fact- Checking Misinformation, disinformation, and fact-checking are important topics in media law and ethics. They relate to the accuracy and truthfulness of information presented in the media. Misinformation is the dissemination of false or inaccurate information, while disinformation is the deliberate spread of false or misleading information. Fact-checking is the process of verifying the accuracy of information presented in the media. Misinformation can be unintentional or deliberate. Unintentional misinformation occurs when inaccurate information is spread due to errors in reporting, lack of knowledge or resources, or misinterpretation of data. Deliberate misinformation is intentionally spread with the intention of misleading people. This can be done for political, financial, or personal gain. Disinformation, on the other hand, is always deliberate. It is the intentional spread of false or misleading information with the goal of causing har...

Exploiting a News Story The media plays an essential role in keeping people informed about what is happening around the world. However, this power can also be exploited for personal gain. Exploiting a news story refers to the act of manipulating information to further one's own agenda, often at the expense of accuracy and fairness. One example of exploiting a news story is the infamous case of Janet Cooke, a reporter for The Washington Post. In 1980, Cooke won the Pulitzer Prize for her story "Jimmy's World," which reported the life of an eight-year-old heroin addict. The story was very powerful and emotionally loaded, and the story ended up gaining a lot of attention. What came up in this situation was that Cooke had fabricated the entire story. Jimmy did not exist, and the details of the story were fabricated. Cooke's actions had exploited the public's concern about drug addiction for personal gain, and they had damaged the credibility of The Washington Pos...

 Copyright and Fair Use The term copyright is something I believe most individuals today are familiar with. Most of us have probably experienced posting a video on social media and how it quickly got taken down due to copyright for the music being used in the video. We stumble on copyright every now and then in different situations, especially in social media. When it comes to the term fair use, I was not very aware of what exactly that meant before I did some research on the topic.  Fair Use is a doctrine of US Copyright Law, which allows limited use of material being copyrighted, without permission required from the copyright holder. This principle is based on the belief that the public should be allowed to use some proportions of copyrighted materials for purposes of commentary and criticism. While criticizing a novelist, for example, you should be able to quote a part of the novelist's work without asking for permission to do so. If the copyright owner disagrees with the ...

  Reporter's Privilege The idea underlying the concept of reporter's privilege is that journalists are being granted a limited First Amendment right to not be forced to reveal information or confidential news sources in court. Before doing some research on this topic I did not really know what exactly a reporter's privilege is, and now that I know more about it I feel like it is a topic that should be addressed on a wider scale.  The author Vanessa Leggett spent 168 days in a federal jail in Houston because she refused to disclose confidential information to a grand jury. This is longer than any American journalist had ever been held for refusing to respond to a subpoena, and was only released when the term of the grand jury before whom she was supposed to testify expired. Leggett said she would be more than willing to go back to jail again if she were subpoenaed again. She states "If that's what it takes, that's what it takes. This is not so much about me. It...