Communications Law: Liberties, Restraints, and the Modern Media

Book Description

The new edition of COMMUNICATIONS LAW continues with the reviewer-praised readability, coverage of core topics, and currency that have been its consistent strengths. The author's interesting, hypothetical exercises have been a favorite among both professors and students. As in previous editions, the Fifth Edition includes a thorough update of cases and information to keep the text current.

Customer Reviews:

Positive Feedback.......2007-10-18

I was pleased with the time it took to get this book, but mostly the condition. It was in very good condition just as described by the seller and I would buy from them again.

Decent.......2005-05-27

I thought this was a decent, easy-to-read book with great graphs to highlight the points made. My only suggestion is that some of the Hypothetical answers seemed choppy and I didn't grasp a full understanding of how some conclusion were reached (ex. the Independent running for president who couldn't get a certain length of time on t.v.)

Purity in Print: Book Censorship in America from the Gilded Age to the Computer Age (Print Culture History in Modern America)

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Purity in Print: Book Censorship in America from the Gilded Age to the Computer Age (Print Culture History in Modern America)
Paul S. Boyer
Manufacturer: University of Wisconsin Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0299175847

Book Description

The first edition of Purity in Printdocumented book censorship in America from the 1870s to the 1930s, embedding it within the larger social and cultural history of the time. This second edition adds two new chapters that carry this history forward to the beginning of the twenty-first century.

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There is better
Nothing to do with "anarchy online"
good book, tackles ethics and legal issues head-on
They should have taken out net-sex (it's obsolete)
Quite Cool

Anarchy Online
Charles Platt
Manufacturer: Eos
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0061009903

Amazon.com

Anarchy Online is absolutely a must-read for anyone concerned about cyberspace matters. Charles Platt's excellent book promises "the truth beyond the hype" and he delivers. "Anarchy Online" examines the sensationalism surrounding crime, free speech issues, and sex on the Net. He's done his homework, covering issues like cyberporn, hacker busts, and encryption in compelling detail. Although he possesses an insider's knowledge of the insiders, Platt steps back sufficiently to get a useful and thought-provoking perspective.

Book Description

Enter the front lines of both sides &nbspin the war to control the Net.

The U.S. Justice Department, the Christian Coalition and the Guardian Angels want to clean up the Net. ACLU attorneys, college activists and a raging band of rebels are trying to stop them. Who will win this epic battle, and what will the consequences be?

From Charles Platt, one of the original online renegades and a contributing editor of Wired magazine, comes these two distinct "guides" --each with its own front cover -- to address both sides of these modern issues in one book. This authoritative look begins with the origins of Usenet and ends in a nightmarish future where the war on netporn has become as expensive and futile as the war on drugs. Along the way we meet dozens of other colorful personalities fighting to control the greatest mass medium since the printing press.

Customer Reviews:

There is better.......2000-03-02

I enjoyed this book but found 'Life and Death on the Internet' by Keith Schroeder to be more useful, informitive and interesting. Personally, I would pass on this book and get Mr. Schroeder's.

Nothing to do with "anarchy online".......1999-02-22

Platt's book caters to people who subscribe to stereotypes about the Internet. The main problem with this book is it's misleading title: "Anarchy Online." It totally leaves out all of the online content being created by anarchists today, especially the hundreds of really useful websites. Platt should stick to fiction, although this book could be classified as fiction.

good book, tackles ethics and legal issues head-on.......1998-12-24

I quite enjoyed both parts of this book. "Net Crime" does a lot to put real computer crime in perspective -- not the media hype that most people are used to. It's not very technical, so non-techies could understand and appreciate it. The section on satellite piracy doesn't seem directly relevant, but it's very interesting and does well to illustrate some basic "hacker principles" without actually saying so. (All you hackers that don't believe in piracy, don't trip, Platt doesn't tend to overgeneralize.)

On the flip side, "Net Sex" provides (afaik) an accurate historical account of the 'net (and BBS) pr0n scare and some of the aftermath. There's a lot of serious discussion about freedom of speech, but the author's bias doesn't stop him from carefully portraying both sides of the issues.

All in all, these were two very interesting books. Anyone interested in studying hacking (from a social/legal point of view, not a technical one) and/or the Internet porno industry should read this book. So should people who just want to learn a little more about computer crime and porn laws and how they came to be.

They should have taken out net-sex (it's obsolete).......1998-12-01

The part on net-crime was great since it showed history, ethics, pyschology and the zen of hacking itself. i was hoping that the coverage could have been broader, but the book was halfed into net-sex where it talked about BBS pr0n which is kinda dead nowadays.

Nonetheless, a good book if you're towards the history and the sense of hackers. But if you're looking for technical stuff, uhmm, better turn your back. The book is not for those wanting to learn, or is in search of technical knowledge. The book is for critics, professors, and the mass who don't understand what hacking is all about.

Quite Cool.......1998-09-11

I actually enjoyed reading this book. Quite a good deal when you consider you get 2 books rolled into one.

The content itself was not to bad. I only wish it took into consideration the thoughts of hackers themselves instead of just one person. Another thing that was a bit annoying was that it only concentrated on the US, what about the UK, a quick look at alt.ph.uk will tell you that there is a lively hacker movement in the UK as well.

Book Description

The adversary system of trial, the defining feature of the Anglo-American legal procedure, developed late in English legal history. For centuries defendants were forbidden to have legal counsel, and lawyers seldom appeared for the prosecution either. Trial was meant to be an occasion for the defendant to answer the charges in person. The transformation from lawyer-free to lawyer-dominated criminal trial happened within the space of about a century, from the 1690's to the 1780's. This book explains how the lawyers captured the trial. In addition to conventional legal sources, Professor Langbein draws upon a rich vein of contemporary pamphlet accounts about trials in London's Old Bailey. The book also mines these novel sources to provide the first detailed account of the formation of the law of criminal evidence. Responding to menacing prosecutorial initiatives (including reward-seeking thieftakers and crown witnesses induced to testify in order to save their own necks) the judges of the 1730's decided to allow the defendant to have counsel to cross-examine accusing witnesses. By restricting counsel to the work of examining and cross-examining witnesses, the judges intended that the accused would still need to respond in person to the charges against him. Professor Langbein shows how counsel manipulated the dynamics of adversary procedure to defeat the judges design, ultimately silencing the accused and transforming the very purpose of the criminal trial. Trial ceased to be an opportunity for the accused to speak, and instead became an occasion for defense counsel to test the prosecution case.

Customer Reviews:

Classic Treatment of the Subject.......2007-03-14

Langbein's work is revolutionary in its use of the Old Bailey Sessions papers as a tool for scholarly research. For all who are interested in criminal trials in the Britain in the 18th Century, this work is absolutely fundamental.

A Terrific Resource.......2003-06-01

This a really terrific explanation of the history of our modern adversarial system and would be particularly useful to trial lawyers who work within the adversarial criminal system. (It's one thing to know that one CAN object to hearsay...but haven't you ever wondered why we do?)

Voyeur Nation: Media, Privacy, and Peering in Modern Culture

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Welcome to Global Voyeurism
Intriguing, but somewhat tedious
Great discussion on privacy vs. public's right to know
Beagle says...
Caly Calvert, the Man, the Myth, the Mystery

Voyeur Nation: Media, Privacy, and Peering in Modern Culture
Clay Calvert
Manufacturer: Westview Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0813366275

Book Description

Explores the roots and causes of our increasingly voyeuristic society and argues against using the First Amendment to safeguard our right to peer into others' lives.

Voyeur Nation traces the evolution and forces driving what the author calls the 'voyeurism value.' Calvert argues that although spectatorship and sensationalism are far from new phenomena, today a confluence of factors-legal, social, political, and technological-pushes voyeurism to the forefront of our image-based world.

The First Amendment increasingly is called on to safeguard our right, via new technologies and recording devices, to peer into the innermost details of others' lives without fear of legal repercussion. But Calvert argues that the voyeurism value contradicts the value of discourse in democracy and First Amendment theory, since voyeurism by its very nature involves merely watching without interacting or participating. It privileges watching and viewing media images over participating and interacting in democracy.

Customer Reviews:

Welcome to Global Voyeurism.......2004-01-14

As transnational broadcasters rush toward privatization, calls for more democratization and transparency by more laissez-faire governments, Clay Calvert's Voyeur Nation should be thoughtfully considered to prevent a "race to the bottom" by sacrificing cultural tastes in the pursuit of greater audience numbers.
A lawyer as well as a professor of law and communications and co-director of the Pennsylvania Center for the First Amendment at Pennsylvania State University. The latter credit is important because Calvert does not believe the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution-an international model for liberalized news and entertainment-should not protect "mediated voyeurism" rampant in the U.S., Asia and Europe. The argument is as important as it is provocative.
Calvert lays the groundwork for his argument with a recitation of what the mass media have done to damage the concept of privacy rights, often willingly abdicated by "victims" seeking fame and fortune, their fleeting Warholian 15 minutes of recognition-both in front of and behind the hidden camera.
The author decries the rise of "reality" shows on U.S. and European television where cameras go along and confront various miscreants and straying spouses. Those caught in the glare of camera lights almost never are advised of their rights to an attorney and often react badly-which, of course, is "good" television. In some cases, especially on tell-all/show-all programs like the Jerry Springer Show or the Ricki Lake Show, participants are asked to bare their most private thoughts on syndicated TV. The result is a growing class of exhibitionists performing in real life for a growing class of audience voyeurs, he says.
Calvert cites uses and gratifications theories as a reason people tune into such programs as The World's Most Amazing Videos, Cheating Spouses Caught on Tape, Cops, The Osbournes (a new entry into the voyeurism field where the camera follows rocker Ozzie Osbourne and his family around all day long-and showed in real time the family's reactions to the wife's newly diagnosed cancer) and dozens more. This voyeurism even has a game-show flavor as demonstrated last summer when Maury Povich and Montel Williams each aired a series of shows on "Who's the Father?" Using DNA testing, unwed mothers with babes in arms found out which among three former lovers were actually the father of her baby while a cheering live studio audience made their own guesses. The programs drew huge audiences, which, in the Western media tradition, resulted in huge company profits. Legal scholar Robert Bork must have had programs like these in mind when he wrote Slouching Towards Gomorrah.
The Internet has pushed the envelope on voyeurism, Calvert writes. Some of the more popular sites on the web are those featuring webcams or surveillance cameras that catch participants in various aspects of day-to-day, from bed and board to bath in real-life Truman Shows, including their most intimate minutes. Sexual voyeurism is one of the more popular Internet activities worldwide, whether some cultures are willing or not to admit it, he says.
The public's right to know is limited to officialdom, not to their neighbor's bedroom behind closed curtains. While "peeping" might be a human "want" it is not a human "need." Mediated voyuerism involving the space band spectrum opens the door for regulation, he says. In that regard, Calvert might be suggesting a role for governments or critical discussion by community in the mediation process. Communitarians such as Robert Putnam and Amitai Etzioni would heartily agree since they would consider mediated voyeurism contrary to the best interests of a civil, community-based society.
While building a strong case of greater government influence in broadcasting of programs that violate privacy rights, Calvert limps out of the argument at the end, suggesting instead self-governance by media outlets by redefining broadcasting ethos and codes of conduct.
Despite the weak ending, Calvert's work raises key issues for transnational broadcasters and is worth a read by students seeking an understanding of what could happen to transnational programming if ratings races become their raisons d'etre.

Intriguing, but somewhat tedious.......2003-09-02

Clay Calvert defines mediated voyeurism as "the consumption of revealing images of and information about others' apparently real and unguarded lives, often yet not always for purposes of entertainment but frequently at the expense of privacy and disclosure, through the means of mass media and Internet."

The author has an exquisite grasp of the obvious (or maybe I've just read too many books on this subject), revealing in the first half of the book such profound truths as: the more willing people are to give up control of information that affects them, the more mediated voyeurism thrives; and, TV news has become a commodity used to gather an audience to sell to advertisers.

The book makes some interesting points on media coverage of politics, for instance, by focusing on politicians' strategies (for staying at the top of the race) instead of substantive issues, the media contributes to the politics-as-voyeurism phenomenon and alienates voters. Also interesting was Calvert's discussion of the case law related to voyeurism. His description of some of the pertinent and precedent-setting cases was enlightening and alarming.

On a more negative note, the book is self-referential to the point of absurdity. The author's habit of incessantly telling the reader what he just told him, what he told him back in chapter 2, and what he's going to tell him in the next section or chapter becomes very irritating.

And one bit of false advertising: in the introduction Calvert promises that the book "can at times be sarcastic, if not flippant, in tone." I noted one (possibly two) instances of sarcasm and none of flippancy. It would be more accurate to say "the book can at times be didactic, if not tedious, in tone.

If this book interested you, you may also be interested in Tuning in Trouble by Heaton and Wilson. It only deals with talk shows, and it is not as in-depth as this book, but it is a bit more readable.

Great discussion on privacy vs. public's right to know.......2001-04-17

This is an excellent book covering a topic that affects anyone who watches TV or access the Internet. This book provokes thinking about what we view on TV news and "news magazines". What is newsworthy content? How far can and should the media go in terms of invading privacy by broadcasting private moments? Is shoving a camera into a grieving person's face newsworthy, or is it an invasion of privacy rights not worthy of First Amendment protection? What about secretly videotaping an accident victim's on-the-scene agony and broadcasting it later on TV without seeking the victim's permission?

The author notes that the First Amendment was designed to promote participation in our democracy, but much of the content provided my media outlets today actually lulls viewers into a voyeuristic mode, suppressing the will of people to participate. Still, most of what we see on TV is protected by the First Amendment, even when the result is contrary to the desired effect of promoting an active and involved democracy.

When reading this book, you might find yourself questioning court decisions, but you will also question the alternatives. This book provokes thought, as a good book should. I highly recommend it. You won't see the news or "news" magazine shows in the same light again!

Beagle says..........2001-01-23

Mr. Calvert is clearly an authority on media law. The book is so well-written as to be accessible anyone who is interested in communications law. Contains a comprehensive discussion of the law, yet one which is easily understood by all. High marks for the author's use of plain language to convey ideas which could otherwise be quite difficult to understand. Worthwhile reading for the practitioner or layperson.

Caly Calvert, the Man, the Myth, the Mystery.......2001-01-03

I loved this book so much I gave it as a gift! Doctor Calvert is a gifted writer, and noticing that he is a professor at Penn State University, I have no doubt that if the classes he teaches are half as interesting as this book, it must be nearly impossible to get a spot in them! I reccommend this book whole-heartedly!

Cases in Communications Law: Liberties, Restraints, and the Modern Media (with InfoTrac)

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Expensive Reprint of Free Information
Nice
Good Reason It's a CLASSIC! (9th Ed./InfoTrac Incl.)

Cases in Communications Law: Liberties, Restraints, and the Modern Media (with InfoTrac)
John Zelezny
Manufacturer: Wadsworth Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0534618030

Book Description

The primary goal of this book is to present cases that will familiarize communications students with authoritative judicial reasoning on key principles of communications law. Most of the cases are from the Supreme Court of the United States and stand as precedents that all other courts in the nation must follow.

Customer Reviews:

Expensive Reprint of Free Information.......2006-12-18

This book is a great example of the passive exploitation of the college textbook market. Publishers have perfected the art of having an expert slap together material that is not elaborated upon enough for advanced students, or which repackages information that can be obtained cheaply (or freely) elsewhere. Then the publisher can charge a grossly inflated price for the book, encourage professors to require it for students, then keep the price high by forcing scarcity in the marketplace for those same students who are forced to buy a copy at any cost. This particular book will only ever be purchased by college students in communications law, most of whom can get 99.9% of the knowledge herein for FREE. Here's the rub - this book is almost entirely made up of reprints of court case documents, which record the rulings and reasonings of judges. But if you are a college student - that is, a member of the only possible market demographic for this book - then your college probably offers free or inexpensive access to database services (such as LexisNexis or WestLaw) that compile this information for scholars.

In this book, the "author" Zelezny has supplied a brief introduction that is so brief as to be useless. Then each chapter has an introductory page that features a paragraph on the overall topic, followed by a list of one-sentence descriptions of why each of the selected cases is of interest. Then the court documents for each of the cases are simply reproduced (with some omissions that enhance brevity but damage full learning), and only a handful of those cases are supported by any explanatory introductions or conclusions from Zelezny. In short, Zelezny just barely tells you why he's reprinting information that is free elsewhere. Instead of buying this completely extraneous book, the student would be better served by simply learning which cases are considered classics in communications law, then reading the cases (plus their supporting documents to boot) on the computer network offered by the campus that holds the class that requires this book. Guess which one costs less. [~doomsdayer520~]

Nice.......2006-09-02

My book arrived within five days of placing my order, which was wonderful because I started class the very next day. There was some writing in it as described, but I don't care because it's a book, and as long as I can read the text, that's all that's really important. Anyway, the book was in great condition, it was the right edition, and it's easy to read. Thanks for the great service!

Good Reason It's a CLASSIC! (9th Ed./InfoTrac Incl.).......2002-05-03

"Must-have" if you're interested in law or law school bound...Superb reference and learning book (there is also a Study Guide -- harder to find); you'll keep this book for years of use! If you take a Criminal Justice course, this is the text you should hope the prof demands. It is truly the best out there. Yes, it's pricy - but worth every dollar.

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Modern Communications Law (Hornbooks)
Harvey L. Zuckman
Manufacturer: West Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Mass Communication Law in a Nutshell (In a Nutshell (West Publishing))

ASIN: 0314211764

Book Description

This powerful treatise provides an encyclopedic analysis of law and policy relating to virtually all modern means of individual and mass communications law. Its primary focus is the history, theory and operation of the First Amendment as it protects free expression over the various media of communication from regulatory encroachment by government. Examples of key discussion areas include suppression or control of obscene, indecent and violent expression, computer communications law, regulation of cable television and broadcasting, and the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

Voyeur Nation: Media, Privacy, and Peering in Modern Culture (Critical Studies in Communication and in Cultural Industries)

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Voyeur Nation: Media, Privacy, and Peering in Modern Culture (Critical Studies in Communication and in Cultural Industries)
Clay Calvert
Manufacturer: Westview Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Shooting People: Adventures in Reality TV

ASIN: 0813342368

Book Description

From 24-hour-a-day "girl cam" sites on the World Wide Web to trash-talk television shows like "Jerry Springer" and reality television programs like "Cops," we've become a world of voyeurs. We like to watch others as their intimate moments, private facts, secrets, and dirty laundry are revealed. Voyeur Nation traces the evolution and forces driving what the author calls the 'voyeurism value.' Calvert argues that although spectatorship and sensationalism are far from new phenomena, today a confluence of factors-legal, social, political, and technological-pushes voyeurism to the forefront of our image-based world.The First Amendment increasingly is called on to safeguard our right, via new technologies and recording devices, to peer into the innermost details of others' lives without fear of legal repercussion. But Calvert argues that the voyeurism value contradicts the value of discourse in democracy and First Amendment theory, since voyeurism by its very nature involves merely watching without interacting or participating. It privileges watching and viewing media images over participating and interacting in democracy.

Law, Rhetoric, and Irony in the Formation of Canadian Civil Culture

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Law, Rhetoric, and Irony in the Formation of Canadian Civil Culture
Michael Dorland , and Maurice Charland
Manufacturer: University of Toronto Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

In Rhetoric, Irony, and Law in the Formation of Canadian Civil Culture, Michael Dorland and Maurice Charland examine how, over the roughly 400-year period since the encounter of First Peoples with Europeans in North America, rhetorical or discursive fields took form in politics and constitution-making, in the formation of a public sphere, and in education and language. The study looks at how these fields changed over time within the French regime, the British regime, and in Canada since 1867, and how they converged through trial and error into a Canadian civil culture.

The authors establish a triangulation of fields of discourse formed by law (as a technical discourse system), rhetoric (as a public discourse system), and irony (as a means of accessing the public realm as the key pillars upon which a civil culture in Canada took form) in order to scrutinize the process of creating a civil culture. By presenting case studies ranging from the legal implications of the transition from French to English law to the continued importance of the Louis Riel case and trial, the authors provide detailed analyses of how communication practices form a common institutional culture.

As scholars of communication and rhetoric, Dorland and Charland have written a challenging examination of the history of Canadian governance and the central role played by legal and other discourses in the formation of civil culture.

Burdens of Proof in Modern Disclosure. (book reviews): An article from: Argumentation and Advocacy

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Burdens of Proof in Modern Disclosure. (book reviews): An article from: Argumentation and Advocacy
James Arnt Aune
Manufacturer: American Forensic Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Argumentation and Advocacy, published by American Forensic Association on September 22, 1995. The length of the article is 1304 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Burdens of Proof in Modern Disclosure. (book reviews)
Author: James Arnt Aune
Publication: Argumentation and Advocacy (Refereed)
Date: September 22, 1995
Publisher: American Forensic Association
Volume: v32 Issue: n2 Page: p108(3)

Article Type: Book Review

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