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Journalism417G Course Syllabus
Law of Mass Communications
Spring Semester 2015
Department of English and Journalism
Western Illinois University
Simpkins Hall Room 327
Section 021
Tuesdays and Thursdays
11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
Instructor:
Yong Tang, Ph.D.
Assistant professor of journalism and media law
Office location:
Simpkins Hall 226H
Office telephone:
309-298-1217
Office hours:
Tuesdays
2 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
Wednesdays
2 p.m.-3 p.m.
Thursdays
2 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
Or by appointment
Electronic mail:
Y-Tang@wiu.edu
Snail mail:
Simpkins Hall Mailroom 122
Class Materials:
1) Don Pember and Clay Calvert, Mass Media Law (19th edition) (required)
You may rent the digital copy from the following site. It is much cheaper
than buying a brand new print copy. The rental expires after 180 days of
use:
http://www.coursesmart.com/1259144895
2) John Zelezny, Cases in Communications Law (6th edition, 2010) (optional)
3) Amber Nieto and John Schmitt, A Student’s Guide to Mass Communication
Law (2004) (optional)
4) Mark Pearson, Blogging and Tweeting without Getting Sued: A Global Guide
to the Law for Anyone Writing Online (2012) (optional) (placed on course
reserves. You can check out the book and read it in the Malpass Library)
Course Description:
This course will introduce students to many important legal questions that news
media and public relations professionals face routinely in disseminating news and
information to the public. No prior knowledge of the law is necessary. This class
requires only preparation and critical thinking. Through reading assignments,
lectures, class discussions, and court simulations, students will gain an
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understanding of the legal problems in several key areas of media law: freedom of
speech and the press, libel, personal privacy, news gathering practices, protection of
news sources, free press/fair trial, the regulation of obscene and erotic materials,
copyright, and the regulation of advertising and telecommunications.
Goals and Objectives:
1) Develop an understanding of and appreciation for the protections embedded
in the First Amendment.
2) Understand and apply principles of communications law (e.g., libel, privacy,
the role of the Federal Communications Commission, confidential sources,
reporters ‘privilege, etc.) and the responsibilities of a free press.
3) Understand the historic challenges of law to keep pace with the evolution of
technology.
4) Understand the importance of journalism in connection with government
transparency, accountability of officials and bureaucrats, and freedom of
information laws.
5) Recognize that ethics and law do not always merge – what might be lawful is
not always journalistically ethical.
First Amendment:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting
the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the
right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a
redress of grievances.
Attendance and Participation:
Attendance is mandatory for this course. Class attendance will be counted in
determining the final course grade. Students will be allowed to miss three classes
without grade penalty. For these three missed classes, no excuses are needed.
Please use them just for emergencies and sick days. Beyond the three, you chip away
at attendance and participation points. Five points will be deducted for each
unexcused absence. It is the student’s responsibility to provide written document
to the instructor in order to receive an excuse for an absence. Quizzes or
assignments missed because of lateness or unexcused absences cannot be made up
and will receive zeros. For WIU Student Absence Policy Clarification, see
http://wiu.edu/policies/stuabsc.php.
Students are required to complete readings of assigned chapters from the text and
assigned hypothetical cases before coming to class so they can actively participate in
class discussions and court simulations. Class participation and court simulations
will be counted in determining the course grade.
Court Simulations:
After the instructor covers each body of law in class, there will be one or two class
sessions devoted to court simulations on that specific law. We will simulate a
courtroom trial during which attorneys for both the defendants and the plaintiff try
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to have their arguments accepted by the judge. The judge should make a verdict
according to the law and the strength of attorneys’ arguments. The instructor,
simulating as the Supreme Court Justice, will make the final decision. Students will
take turns to play the role of judges, defense attorneys, plaintiff attorneys, plaintiffs
and defendants, witnesses, court reporters, and even friends of the court. Students
are expected to read assigned hypothetical cases carefully before coming to class so
that they can actively participate in court simulations.
There are 12 classes devoted to court simulations. Each class session is worth 30
points. Thus the total is 360 points. Your grade for the court simulation is judged on
the quality and quantity of your participation in court simulations. Don’t keep silent!
Even if you are not a chief attorney, you should still talk!
If you are absent for a specific court simulation class session for whatever reason,
you will have an opportunity to make up by writing a court brief. The number of
court briefs you need to write depends upon how many times you have been absent
(e.g., if you have been absent for court simulations twice, you need to write two
court briefs). The instructions on court briefs will be available at Western Online.
Examination Policy:
There are two tests in this course. One is the mid-term exam and another is final
exam. Both tests will be in multiple-choice and true-false formats. The tests cover all
lectures and reading assignments listed by the syllabus. Students are encouraged to
review their test results with Professor Yong Tang during regular office hours or by
appointment.
The dates of these tests are as follows:
Mid-term Exam:
03/12/2015 (Chapter1-8)
Final Exam:
05/14/2015 (Chapter9-16)
Grading Criteria:
Breakdown of the final grades for the course:
Mid-term exam:
300 points (30%)
Final exam:
200 points (20%)
Court simulations:
360 points (36%)
Class attendance:
40 points (4%)
Class participation:
100 points (10%)
Total:
1000 points (100%)
Extra credit opportunities will be announced throughout the semester whenever
they become available. Final grades for the course are determined according to the
following scale:
920-1,000
A
890-919
A870-889
B+
830-869
B
4
800-829
770-799
730-769
700-729
670-699
630-669
600-629
0-599
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
Academic Integrity:
Western Illinois University, like all communities, functions best when its members
treat one another with honesty, fairness, respect, and trust. Plagiarism, cheating,
and other forms of academic dishonesty constitute a serious violation of University
conduct regulations. Students who engage in dishonesty in any form shall be
charged with academic dishonesty. Any student with a question about academic
integrity or plagiarism is encouraged to discuss it with his or her instructor. For
details on WIU’s Academic Integrity Policy, see
www.wiu.edu/policies/acintegrity.php.
Student Rights and Note to Students with Disabilities:
As a WIU student, you have your rights and responsibilities, see
http://www.wiu.edu/provost/students.php. In accordance with University
policy and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), academic accommodations
may be made for any student who notifies the instructor of the need for an
accommodation. For the instructor to provide the proper accommodation(s) you
must obtain documentation of the need for an accommodation through Disability
Resource Center (DRC) and provide it to the instructor. It is imperative that you take
the initiative to bring such needs to the instructor's attention, as he/she is not
legally permitted to inquire about such particular needs of students. Students who
may require special assistance in emergency evacuations (i.e. fire, tornado, etc.)
should contact the instructor as to the most appropriate procedures to follow in
such an emergency. Contact Disability Resource Center (DRC) at 298-2512 for
additional services.
Personal Communication Devices:
Personal computers must be turned off when class begins and must not be used
again unless it is for an assignment. Use of cell phones, pagers, IPods, or any other
personal communication devices or programs in the classroom during class time is
strictly prohibited. You will be asked to leave for the day if you engage in such
practices. Repeated offenses will affect your final grades. Make sure these devices
are turned off prior to entering the classroom.
Miscellaneous:
If you have a question about any of the readings, assignments, or anything course
related, it is up to you to approach or contact me in due time. I cannot read your
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mind and it is much better to be overly safe than sorry later: No question or concern
is stupid except the ones that remain unexplored.
About the Instructor:
Before joining academia, Dr. Yong Tang worked for nearly 15 years as an awardwinning editor and reporter for the People’s Daily, the largest and most politically
influential newspaper in the People’s Republic of China. From 2004 to 2007, he was
a Washington, D.C.-based correspondent of the People’s Daily. Drawing upon his
unique reporting and writing experiences as a foreign correspondent in the world
capital of news, Tang published in 2014 a four-volume book America in the Eyes of
Yong Tang with a reputable publishing house in Beijing.
Yong Tang is a recipient of WIU Professional Achievement Award (2014). He was
named as Faces of Penn State (2013) (http://faces.psu.edu/faces/yong-tang/). He
was on the list of Top 50 Journalism Professors (2012)
(http://journalismdegree.org/top-professors/). Tang's list of additional honors and
awards includes the top faculty paper award from the Law and Policy Division,
AEJMC (the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication)
(2012); AEJMC's Best Research Scholar-to-Scholar Presentation Award (2011); Gene
and Fran Goodwin Journalism Scholarship at Penn State (2010); University
Graduate Fellowship at Penn State (2009); Freeman Fellowship at George
Washington University (2007); and the China Journalism Award (2004).
Yong Tang holds a doctoral degree in mass communications law and policy from
The Pennsylvania State University and another Ph.D. in international journalism
from The Communication University of China in Beijing. He studied at the George
Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs and earned a master’s
degree in international policy and practice. Yong Tang received his undergraduate
education in China, where he received his bachelor’s degree in English language and
literature from Sichuan International Studies University and another undergraduate
degree in English news reporting and editing from China School of Journalism. For
more information about the instructor, see Tang’s faculty page:
http://www.wiu.edu/cas/english_and_journalism/directory/show.php?y-tang.
Course Schedule:
This schedule is tentative and may be adjusted throughout the semester. Readings
are DUE on the day they are assigned.
Week
1
Date
1/20
1/22
Class Topic
Introduction and
Overview of the
Class
Introduction and
Overview of the
Readings
Presentation
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2
1/27
1/29
3
2/03
2/05
4
2/10
2/17
5
2/19
7
9
10
Ch. 2 and 3
Ch. 4
Ch. 5
Ch. 6
2/26
Invasion of Privacy
Ch. 7
3/03
Invasion of Privacy
Ch. 8
3/05
3/12
Court Simulation on
Privacy
Court Simulation on
Privacy
Mid-Term Exam
Ch. 1-8
3/17
Spring Break
3/19
Spring Break
3/24
Gathering
Information
3/26
Court Simulation on
News Gathering
3/10
8
Court Simulation on
First Amendment
Libel Introduction
Ch. 1
How to Prove Libel
How to Argue Against
Libel
Court Simulation on
Libel
Court Simulation on
Libel
2/24
6
Class
Introduction to the
U.S. Legal System
First Amendment
Ch. 9
The Law and
Judiciary
Historical and
Contemporary
Aspect
Establishing a
Libel Case
Proving Fault
Defenses and
Damages
Appropriation
and Intrusion
Private
Information and
False Light
Access to
Government
Records and
Information
7
11
3/31
Protection of News
Sources
4/02
Court Simulation on
Protection of News
Sources
4/07
Ch.10
Free Press and Fair Trial Ch.11 and
12
12
13
15
Trial-Level
Remedies and
Restrictive
Orders/Close
Judicial
Proceedings
4/09
Court Simulation on
Free Press and Fair
Trial
4/14
Macomb Courthouse
On-Site Visit
Obscenity Law
Ch. 13
Obscenity Law
and Other Erotic
Material
Regulations
Court Simulation on
Obscenity Law
Copyright
Ch. 14
Creative
Expression
Ch. 15 and
16
Advertising and
Electronic
Media
Regulations
Ch. 9-16
10 a.m.
4/16
4/21
14
News
Sources/Conte
mpt Power
4/23
4/28
Court Simulation on
Copyright
4/30
Regulation of
Advertising and
Telecommunications
5/05
Court Simulation on
Advertising
Court Simulation on
Telecommunications
16
5/07
17
5/14
Final Exam