The fourth estate and the Constitution : freedom of the press in America /
In 1964 the Supreme Court handed down a landmark decision in New York Times v. Sullivan guaranteeing constitutional protection for caustic criticism of public officials, thus forging the modern law of freedom of the press. Since then, the Court has decided case after case affecting the rights and re...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Licensed eBooks |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Berkeley :
University of California Press,
©1991.
|
| Online Access: | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&AN=41976 |
| Summary: | In 1964 the Supreme Court handed down a landmark decision in New York Times v. Sullivan guaranteeing constitutional protection for caustic criticism of public officials, thus forging the modern law of freedom of the press. Since then, the Court has decided case after case affecting the rights and restrictions of the press, yet little has ben written about these developments as they pertain to the Fourth Estate. Lucas Powe's essential book now fills this gap. Lucas A. Powe, Jr., a legal scholar specializing in media and the law, goes back to the framing of the First Amendment and chronicles the two main traditions of interpreting freedom of the press to illuminate the issues that today ignite controversy: • How can a balance be achieved among reputation, uninhibited discussion, and media power? • Under what circumstance can the government seek to protect national security by enjoining the press rather than attempting the difficult task of convincing a jury that publication was a criminal offense? • What rights can the press properly claim to protect confidential sources or to demand access to information otherwise barred to the public? • And, as the media grow larger and larger, can the government attempt to limit their power by limiting their size? Writing for the concerned layperson and student of both journalism and jurisprudence, Powe synthesizes law, history, and theory to explain and justify full protection of the editorial choices of the press. The Fourth Estate and the Constitution not only captures the sweep of history of Supreme Court decisions on the press, but also provides a timely restatement of the traditional view of freedom of the press at a time when liberty is increasingly called into question. |
|---|---|
| Physical Description: | 1 online resource (xii, 357 pages) |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references (pages 299-343) and index. |
| ISBN: | 9780520913165 0520913167 0520080386 9780520080386 0585299633 9780585299631 0520072901 9780520072909 |