Finding a Mass Media
Paper Topic
University of Michigan Law Library
Seth Quidachay-Swan
Faculty Services & Reference Librarian
September 20, 2011
U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I C H I G A N L AW L I B R A R Y
Road Map
1. Basics
2. Where to Get Ideas
3. Sources for Further Information
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U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I C H I G A N L AW L I B R A R Y
Basics
• Your Paper Topic Should Be:
– Something that Interests You
– Narrow Topic
– Research-able
– Current
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U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I C H I G A N L AW L I B R A R Y
Possible Topics
• What should the subject be?
– First Amendment (Obscenity, Hate Speech, etc.)
– Privacy Rights
– FCC Regulation
– Governance of the Internet
– Journalistic Privilege
– Libel & Defamation
– Intellectual Property Rights
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Where to Start
• Think while you read and watch television
– TV News
– Magazines – The Week, Wired, New Yorker
– Newspapers – New York Times, Wall Street Journal
– Online – Slate, Media Law Prof. Blog (etc.), News
Briefs
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U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I C H I G A N L AW L I B R A R Y
Some Websites For Possible Topics
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http://bailiwick.lib.uiowa.edu/journalism/mediaLaw/1st_amendment_txt.html
(List of First Amendment and Freedom of Expression Resources)
http://tully.syr.edu/resources.cfm (List of academic centers on Media Law in New
York and Nationwide)
http://www.virtualchase.com/topics/first_amendment.shtml (A list of websites
related to 1st Amendment Law)
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/firstamendment/firstamendme
nthome.htm (Exploring First Amendment Law)
http://www.privsecblog.com/promo/about/ (Privacy and Security Law Blog)
http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/firstamendment/ (First Amendment Law
Professor Blog)
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/subject_menus/constpap.asp (Avalon Project
Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy)
http://www.abajournal.com/blawgs/topic/media+communications+law/ ( ABA List
of Popular Media & Communications Law Blogs)
http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/media_law_prof_blog/ (Media Law Professors
Blog )
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Non-Profits Organizations Devoted to
1st Amendment & Media Law
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ACLU Free Speech: http://www.aclu.org/free-speech
Berkman Center for Internet & Society: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/
Center for Democracy and Technology : http://www.cdt.org/
Citizens Internet Empowerment Coalition : http://www.ciec.org/
Citizens Media Law Project: http://www.citmedialaw.org/
Electronic Privacy Information Center : http://epic.org/
First Amendment Center : http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/
Free Expression Policy Project : http://www.fepproject.org/
Free Speech Movement Digital : http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/FSM/
Citizen Media Law Project: http://www.citmedialaw.org/database
Electronic Frontier Foundation : http://www.eff.org/
Reporters Committee for the Freedom of Press : http://www.rcfp.org/
James Madison Center for Free Speech: http://www.jamesmadisoncenter.org/
People for the American Way: http://site.pfaw.org/site/PageServer?pagename=homepagenew
Media Institute/National Freedom of Speech Week http://www.mediainstitute.org/NFSW/2007/index.html
Media Law Resource Center: http://www.medialaw.org/
Thomas Jefferson Center: http://www.tjcenter.org/
Society of Professional Journalists: http://www.spj.org/firstamendment.asp
Student Press Law Center: http://www.splc.org/
To find more associations on media law and first amendment, search Associations Unlimited
(http://mirlyn.lib.umich.edu/Record/003304973) by keyword or subject
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U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I C H I G A N L AW L I B R A R Y
Other Sources of Information
• eBrary – recent monographs and e-books
• Proquest Research Library – full-text law, nonlaw and popular press journals and magazines
• Access World News – full-text of 800+
worldwide English language newspapers
• Lexis & Westlaw news databases
• University Library Resources: full-text e-books
and journals individually listed in Mirlyn or as
databases in Search Tools.
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Now I have a Topic
• Start with Secondary Sources
– Treatises
• Book lists – Major Treatises in Various Subject Areas
– Civil Rights & Liberties (includes Free Speech), Privacy, Computers
& the Internet, Entertainment Law, Libel & Slander
• Use Keyword or Subject Searches in Mlaw Catalog
– Some Possible Subjects:
» Book industries and trade law and legislation; Confidential
communications Press; Journal Legal status, laws, etc;
Obscenity (law); Privacy, Right of; Advertising, Newspaper
Law and legislation; Electronic Publishing Law and Legislation
– Law Reviews and Journals
• Lexis & Westlaw Journals Database
• Index to Legal Periodicals & Index to Legal Periodicals Retro
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U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I C H I G A N L AW L I B R A R Y
Research Sources
• 3 Campus Systems
– Law Library – Mlaw Catalog
– University Library – Mirlyn
– Kresge Business Administration Library
• Many of the Kresge’s Library Resources must be
accessed on-site.
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U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I C H I G A N L AW L I B R A R Y
Where to Find More E-Resources
• Three E-Resource Lists on Campus
– Law Library Electronic Resources
– University Library Search Tools
– Kresge Business Library Electronic Resources
• Many Kresge resources must be used on-site
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U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I C H I G A N L AW L I B R A R Y
Further Assistance
Ask a Law Librarian
– Visit the Reference Desk (Sub-1 of the Law Library)
– Call: 734-9324
– Email: askalawlibrarian@umich.edu
– Chat
– Research Consultations
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