Communication Law in America

The extensively illustrated second edition of Paul Siegel's 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. Thorough updates_and an expanded section on the legal particularities of the Internet_are enhanced by over 100 case-related photos, magazine and newspaper items, works of art, film stills, and original cartoons. Beginning with a clear explanation of the structure and history of the U.S. legal system, Siegel looks at how and why this country has come to place value on the freedom of speech, perhaps above other, sometimes-competing freedoms. With his student-friendly approach and lively writing style, he covers the key legal concerns affecting media today, including First Amendment principles, common laws, constitutional considerations, libel laws, invasion of privacy, copyright and trademark, access to government information, covering the judiciary, protecting news sources, advertising, sexual messages and obscenity laws, broadcast regulations, the Internet, and more. Siegel's complementary casebook, Cases in Communication Law, has also been extensively updated in a new edition, published concurrently with this text by Rowman & Littlefield.