Test III Grades are Up!

Nicely done! Class average was a 79 percent. Highest raw score was a 96, leaving a 4 percent curve added to every score. The posted grades also include any extra credit you received. 

Lecture recordings are all posted and current - please download now!

Don't want a Dropbox meltdown before the final exam. 

Study Guide, Test III

Here you go. Study!!

Journalist's Privilege & Prior Restraint Prezi

Download the PDF. 

FCC Media Ownership Policy

Struggling with the term paper? Check out this 2014 Congressional hearing on the subject, including expert testimony from groups on both sides of the issue. 

Interested in learning more about FOIA?

Click here to access "A Citizen's Guide on Using the Freedom of Information Act." I strongly encourage folks to submit a FOIA request on a matter of public concern, perhaps in connection to a research project you are working on.

Also check out this group, called OpenTheGovernment.org, which is fighting to keep governments accountable. 

Access to Information Prezi

Want Privacy? It will cost you!

AT&T's Gigabit level internet service now will charge customers who decide to keep their web-browsing private. From Ars Technica: 

AT&T is boosting profits by rerouting all your Web browsing to an in-house traffic scanning platform, analyzing your Internet habits, then using the results to deliver personalized ads to the websites you visit, e-mail to your inbox, and junk mail to your front door....AT&T charges at least another $29 a month ($99 total) to provide standalone Internet service that doesn’t perform this extra scanning of your Web traffic. The privacy fee can balloon to more than $60 for bundles including TV or phone service. Certain modem rental and installation fees also apply only to service plans without Internet Preferences.

Importantly, Google's Fiber service doesn't monitor your browsing (unless you are using Google services, which it does monitor). 

Book Launch for The Real Cyber War, April 18, 5-8 PM

Folks: Consider joining me at a book-launch event for The Real Cyber War @ Ebrik April 18. Come anytime between 5-8 PM and to learn about the project, ask questions, or just enjoy a delicious cup of coffee (or tea). We'll also be selling discounted books and signing, of course. No pressure at all, of course, but in case you are interested, you can learn more here. 

Facebook's Auto-tagging Features May Violate Illinois Law

Interesting new law suit filed against Facebook, connected to this week's discussion of privacy: 

A Chicago man has filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against Facebook, alleging that the social networking giant is in violation of an Illinois state law that requires users to expressly consent to instances where their biometric information being used. 

Plaintiff Carlo Licata argues that he and countless other Illinois residents have had their rights violated under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) by Facebook's "Tag Suggestions" feature. That feature is powered by facial recognition technology, and operates without the consent of those being tagged. 

Licata wants the Cook County court to declare that Facebook is in violation of BIPA, ordering it to halt its practice, and to award statutory damages to the class, which has yet to be certified.

What do you think? What is the significant difference between opt-in and opt-out clauses? Does Facebook's terms of service agreement shield it from this and similar lawsuits?

Minor Rights Prezi

Download the PDF here. 

Surveillance & MLK

Folks: as promised, I wanted to share the uncensored FBI letter sent to MLK that clearly outlines the risks of domestic surveillance. From the NYT's article about the letter: 

The unnamed author suggests intimate knowledge of his correspondent’s sex life, identifying one possible lover by name and claiming to have specific evidence about others. Another passage hints of an audiotape accompanying the letter, apparently a recording of “immoral conduct” in action. “Lend your sexually psychotic ear to the enclosure,” the letter demands. It concludes with a deadline of 34 days “before your filthy, abnormal fraudulent self is bared to the nation.” 

“There is only one thing left for you to do,” the author warns vaguely in the final paragraph. “You know what it is.” 

When the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. received this letter, nearly 50 years ago, he quietly informed friends that someone wanted him to kill himself — and he thought he knew who that someone was. Despite its half-baked prose, self-conscious amateurism and other attempts at misdirection, King was certain the letter had come from the F.B.I. Its infamous director, J. Edgar Hoover, made no secret of his desire to see King discredited. A little more than a decade later, the Senate’s Church Committee on intelligence overreach confirmed King’s suspicion.

Something to chew on this week while we discuss privacy rights and surveillance. 

Defamation Prezi

PDF here. 

Test II Grades are up!

Check 'em out. These grades reflect a 7 point curve (two students received a raw test score of 93), as well as any extra credit you earned between the first and second tests. I'll see everyone next week!

Thursday Media Law Class is Cancelled!!

(Monday students, please ignore this post.)

Tuesday/Thursday Folks: I’ve got to cancel tomorrow’s class. Terribly sorry for the late notice. We’ll meet again next Tuesday and talk about defamation & libel.

PLEASE use tomorrow’s cancellation as an opportunity to head to the library and work on your TERM PAPER. It is worth 35% of your grade. I will help you as much as I can to get an A on the paper, but you need to get started for me to be able to help you. 

Hope everyone has a nice week, and I look forward to seeing you next Monday/Tuesday. 

Test II Study Guide is here!

Let's hit the books folks! Download the study guide here. 

Indecency * Obscenity Prezi

Or download a PDF version here. 

Sample Term Papers

Due to popular demand, here are two sample term papers from previous semesters. Please note the following:

1. I have omitted section one from both papers so as to not give away the answer to that part of the assignment;
2. Neither paper is perfect, and I don't vouch for the content of either. These are samples for those who are really struggling to understand what the paper should look like. 
3. You should follow the actual assignment outline in writing your paper. This year's assignment is slightly different from previous assignments, so if you only follow these samples (and not the actual assignment requirements), you will fail. So READ the ASSIGNMENT. 
4. Don't be stupid and plagiarize from either of these papers, or from anywhere else. Plagiarism means failure. And cite your sources. 

Email with questions. Or come to my office hours. 

Careful what you say about your employer online...

Ars Technica is reporting a crazy story out of Abu Dhabi: A US citizen who works in the UAE as a helicopter mechanic was arrested in Abu Dhabi for disparaging his employer via a Facebook post. Thirty-three year old Ryan Pate of Belleair Bluffs, Florida, is accused of slandering his employer, which is illegal in the Emirates:

He wrote in December about his superiors at Global Aerospace Logistics being "backstabbers." He left Florida to return overseas, pack up his stuff, and quit his job. Police called him to come to the station, and he was arrested last month.

Pate has a March 17 trial date and, if convicted, could be sentenced to five years in jail. 

Commercial Speech Prezi #2 (False advertising)

Commercial Speech Prezi #1 (Corporate speech)

Symbolic Expression Prezi

PDF here. 

Test I Grades are Posted

Record time, no? The testing center must have been working extra hard today. Visit the grades page to see how you did. Remember, you will need your confidential J3060 ID number to find your grade. Please store this number somewhere safe as you will need it throughout the semester. Posted grades reflect a 9 point curve (added to every test), plus any extra credit you earned. The highest score on the test pre-curve was a 91. Combining my two classes (100 students total), 22 students scored between a 90-100, 22 scored between an 80-89, 31 scored between 70-79, 11 between 60-69 and 3 below a 60. The zeros reflect students who missed the test entirely. There were no substantial variations between the two classes, either, FYI. 

Congrats to those who met or exceeded their expectations. To those that didn't, don't panic. The Professor is here to help! 

Reminder (Tue-Thu students): No Class on Thursday

I'm presenting at the International Studies Association convention. Please, please take the morning and work on term papers!! Will see you next week!

Test tomorrow is still a go, as long as GSU is open. But be SAFE.

Hi Tuesday/Thursday Folks: I'm receiving lots of emails and figured it may be helpful to post here for all to read. GSU has announced a "delayed opening tomorrow, Tuesday, Feb. 17, at 11am." That is also the same time we are scheduled to take the first exam of the semester.

I don’t have a lot of wiggle room in these situations, and if school is open at 11:00 AM (as is planned), then I will be giving the test as planned.

All of this said, I would never want any student to take a risk by driving in truly difficult weather. So, if you don’t feel safe getting to campus in time for the 11 am exam, then we’ll work out a make-up (see syllabus for make up policy). I will ask any student who requires a make up exam to provide verification of their address, so I can know that there was a legitimate reason for skipping the exam. This is to say, if you live on campus, or near campus, or near functioning public transportation, or your commute is one we would consider otherwise safe, you should plan on being here tomorrow @ 11am.

Again, your safety is my absolute and primary concern. Hope this is helpful, and I hope you all are warm and dry! I biked home from campus tonight. Wouldn't recommend anyone else try that!

Need Motivation to Study?

Somewhat unrelated to media law, but entirely related to your lives and the importance of finishing your degree, is this story:

Last month’s federal jobs report showed a rock-bottom unemployment rate of 2.8 percent for workers who hold at least a four-year degree. The overall unemployment rate is 5.7 percent...“Presumably, these educated workers are the most productive in our information economy,” wrote Guy LeBas, a financial analyst with Janney Montgomery Scott, in a report Bloomberg Businessand other media outlets cited. “At some point in the coming year, we’re going to risk running out of new, productive people to employ.” Anthony P. Carnevale concurred with LeBas. As director of the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce and a top expert on the labor-market returns of degrees, Carnevale has long railed against dubious arguments about the payoff from college being overrated. “We’re headed for full employment” of bachelor’s-degree-holding workers, he said.

This is to say, the best way to secure a good job is to graduate from college. So study! Own this first test! If you have trouble, come see me so I can help! Let's get you graduated!

T-minus one week (or less) until our first test!

A couple of helpful tips: download the lectures sooner rather than later go going here and saving the audio files to your computer or mobile device. This will avoid any last minute problems with Dropbox. 

Study!! Better to be over-prepared than under prepared. Use your notes, the book, and my lectures to try and triangulate your notes on each item on the study guide. 

If you have questions, get in touch. I was lonely during my office hours today, but that's okay. I'll make time with anyone who wants to meet before the test. 

When you take the test next week, pay attention to detail. Read questions carefully, and multiple times. You will have plenty of time. This class is about the law, and, thus, linguistic precision matters A LOT. So, please, pay attention to detail. 

Also, please bring a #2 pencil to next week's test. Need motivation? I've got you covered. 

Internet Policy Prezi

Download a PDF copy here. 

Reading on Internet Policy

Also linked from the syllabus, but just in case, here is Lessig (1999) Law of the Horse. This is in addition to the textbook, of course. 

Broadcast & Cable Regulations Prezi

Download the PDF version here. 

Amazing Study Abroad Opportunity!

Folks, I've had a few students drop out of my Maymester study abroad program at the last minute due to financial reasons and thus have a few openings. If you are interested in a trip that will change your life, please let me know ASAP so that I can get you admitted into the program. I need to move fast as we're buying plane tickets this week or next, but I'd love it if a few of your could join us on our adventure to Istanbul and Budapest.

Some additional details: The program runs during the Maymester and includes trips to Istanbul and Budapest. Students receive 6 credit hours for participating in the intensive month long course. From the brochure: "Global Business and Media offers students a remarkable opportunity to learn about, explore and analyze an important topic: international business and global dimensions of an important industry— media and communications. In particular, we spend a full day at CNN, meeting with executives, touring facilities, and learning about business and media related careers in CNN. Several workshops are held in March and April in order to acquaint ourselves with the economy, business, political, and cultural environment of Turkey and Hungary. Studying business and journalism in the context of two emerging economies, Turkey and Hungary, in contrast to the U.S., provides participants a comparative perspective in an increasingly interconnected global economy. Students also develop an appreciation of cultural differences and how they may affect business and society. 

We spend the first week in Atlanta, meeting with professors, local business leaders and media organizations to deepen their knowledge of the economic aspects of media and journalism industries. We then travel to Istanbul and Budapest for the next twelve nights. In these two vibrant cities, they will meet with an impressive array of business leaders, political and civil society leaders, and educators. While in Istanbul, Georgia State students study with peers – a group of undergraduate students from Marmara University who participate in all activities and serve as cultural ambassadors. This cross-cultural interaction provides a unique experience which makes learning more meaningful and pleasant. Organized visits in Istanbul include leading local companies (e.g. Turkcell) and multinational companies (Coca-Cola, CNN and UPS). Field tours include visits to several media organizations, including Al Jazeera Turk, Bloomberg, Fox and NTV studios. In Budapest, students will visit Central European University, Turner Broadcasting System, Kitchen Budapest and Prezi. We also explore Budapest on a bike tour, and enjoy a cruise on the scenic Danube River."

I'm especially proud of the success of program alum. Former students have gone onto work at CNN (International and Español), Coca Cola, HP, Deloitte, AT&T and CBS/Fox affiliates throughout the southeast (including on-air anchors in Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi). 

For additional details, including photos from previous trips and sample syllabi, please visit: http://gsu-sa.blogspot.com/

EXTRA CREDIT!!!!

I know how much you love extra credit. This is a good thing - it means you want to do well in my class, which I want as well. So, with this in mind, I'm pleased to announce the first extra credit opportunity of the year! 

Professor Victor Pickard (University of Pennsylvania) is coming to GSU on February 9 (1:30-2:30 PM, room 830 25 Park Place) to talk about his book: America's Battle for Media Democracy. Not only is the book terrific, and Professor Pickard brilliant, but the subject happens to be central to the topic of your term paper: the regulation of media ownership. So, not only will you learn something interesting, while receiving extra credit, but you'll also be getting a jump start on your term paper! 

FYI: the term paper is worth 35 percent of your grade, so why not get a head start, right?

If you want to receive extra credit, you must (1) email me by February 8 indicating you will be at the lecture and (2) sign your name on the extra credit sheet that I will circulate at the event. 

If you email to RSVP and attend the full lecture, you will receive 5 percent extra credit on your final paper (which is a lot. If you do the math, this is basically an additional 1.75% added on to your final grade. I'm really nice.)

Copyright Reading

Lawrence Lessig (2002) "Innovating Copyright," Cardoza Arts and Entertainment Law Journal 20(3): 611-624.

Copyright Prezi and PDF

PDF here. 

Week One Lecture: Introduction to Media Law

Link to PDF: download.

Where do I buy my textbook?

Good question! Amazon is your friend. Click here to buy Communication and the Law (2015), the only required textbook for this class. Do it now or risk falling behind!

Welcome to Communication Law & Regulation!

I'm Dr. Shawn Powers, your professor. This is the website for both of my Communication Law & Regulation courses for Spring 2015. One class meets on Mondays (4:30-7:00p) and the other on Tuesdays and Thursdays (11:00-12:15p). I'll post all sorts of fun content here, reminders, interesting stories relating to the class, and any other communique. So, please subscribe to this site by entering your email address in the "Follow By Email" text box to your right (scroll down a bit). This way, any time I post something, you will receive an email.