american aristocracy “some of their fellow-citizens acquired a power over the rest which might...
TRANSCRIPT
American Aristocracy
“Some of their fellow-citizens acquired a power over the rest which might truly have been called aristocratic, if it had been capable of invariable transmission from father to son.”
—Alexis de Toqueville
(1840, 4)
INTRO.
— HISTORY
— CASES
— ISSUES
— SOLUTIONS
PUBLIC OFFICIALS
George Bush, Sr.
41st President
Jeff Sessions
U.S. Senator
Hilary Clinton
U.S. Secretary of State
Jan Brewer
Governor of Arizona
Public Officials
Gained interest because their occupation affects the public at the national, state, and/or local level
Recognized for knowledge, leadership skills, and charisma
INTRO.
— HISTORY
— CASES
— ISSUES
— SOLUTIONS
PUBLIC FIGURES
Ellen Pompeo
T.V. Actress
Kobe Bryant
Professional Basketball Player
Beyonce Knowles
Singer
Brad Pitt
Actor
Public Figures
Gained interest because their occupation interests the public
“The glamorous impersonates the ordinary.” — Laura Mulvey
(1975, 205)
INTRO.
— HISTORY
— CASES
— ISSUES
— SOLUTIONS
What is Defamation?
False & derogatory statements that injure reputation
Slander & libel
Tortus = twisted
INTRO.
— HISTORY
— CASES
— ISSUES
— SOLUTIONS
The Twists
The First Amendment vs. English common law
Private Individuals v. Public Figures/Officials
INTRO.
— HISTORY
— CASES
— ISSUES
— SOLUTIONS
English Common Law Tradition 1275 statute outlawing slander
between King & people
Penance vs. temporal grievance
Court of Star Chamber & birth of libel law
Importance of reputation in English society
— INTRO.
HISTORY
— CASES
— ISSUES
— SOLUTIONS
Defamation in the United States
“Congress shall make no law. . . abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.”
The Sedition Act of 1798
Common law remained intact
— INTRO.
HISTORY
— CASES
— ISSUES
— SOLUTIONS
Officials Become Public Prior to 1896—no press
space in White House
Appearance of mass-circulation press
Theodore Roosevelt holds press conferences
After Watergate—shift in public interest
— INTRO.
HISTORY
— CASES
— ISSUES
— SOLUTIONS
Pres. Kennedy as a Public Official
The masquerade of Camelot in the 1960’s
Post-Watergate—reality of Kennedy’s private life
— INTRO.
HISTORY
— CASES
— ISSUES
— SOLUTIONS
Emergence of Public Figures
The Hollywood Studio Machine
The growth of tabloids
— INTRO.
HISTORY
— CASES
— ISSUES
— SOLUTIONS
New York Times v. Sullivan (1964)
The facts of the case
Common law v.s. the First Amendment
Public officials & actual malice
A new American standard
— INTRO.
— HISTORY
CASES
— ISSUES
— SOLUTIONS
Time, Inc. v. Hill (1967)
Facts of the case
Not a libel suit
A matter of public interest
Hill as a public figure
— INTRO.
— HISTORY
CASES
— ISSUES
— SOLUTIONS
Curtis Publishing Co. v. Butts (1967)
Facts of the case
Butts as a public figure
Application of actual malice standard
— INTRO.
— HISTORY
CASES
— ISSUES
— SOLUTIONS
Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc. (1974)
Facts of the case
Gertz as a private citizen
Actual malice standard inapplicable
Treatment decided by the states
— INTRO.
— HISTORY
CASES
— ISSUES
— SOLUTIONS
Philadelphia Newspapers, Inc. v. Hepps (1987)
Facts of the case
Common law and the burden of proof
The most constitutionally protected entity
Private citizens bear the burden
— INTRO.
— HISTORY
CASES
— ISSUES
— SOLUTIONS
American Defamation Law & the Federal System
Milkovich v. Lorain Journal Co. (1990) — a framework
Burnett v. National Enquirer (1981) — kinds of malice
The categories of public officials and public figures
Differences in degree of fault
— INTRO.
— HISTORY
— CASES
ISSUES
— SOLUTIONS
The Internet
Internet intermediaries
Communications Decency Act (1996)
Widespread anonymity; 55% of bloggers use pseudonyms.
An advanced version of a classical forum
— INTRO.
— HISTORY
— CASES
ISSUES
— SOLUTIONS
Remedies & Damages
Monetary awards
Declaratory relief
Self-Help
Right-of-Response statutes
Injunctive relief
Retraction
— INTRO.
— HISTORY
— CASES
ISSUES
— SOLUTIONS
Five Key Issues
1. First Amendment vs. common law
2. Public vs. private citizens
3. Differences between states
4. Defamation and the internet
5. Insufficiency of remedies
— INTRO.
— HISTORY
— CASES
ISSUES
— SOLUTIONS
Proposed Solution to Issue One:
The First Amendment vs. Common Law Support New York
Times interpretation of First Amendment & common law
No actual malice requirement in declaratory relief claims
— INTRO.
— HISTORY
— CASES
— ISSUES
SOLUTIONS
Proposed Solution to Issue Two:
Public vs. Private Distinction Categories needed
Recommend the courts redefine the major categories based on today’s social constructs
— INTRO.
— HISTORY
— CASES
— ISSUES
SOLUTIONS
Thoughts on Issue Three:Differences Between States
Importance of enabling each state to craft its own defamation law
The national framework holds the law in place
— INTRO.
— HISTORY
— CASES
— ISSUES
SOLUTIONS
Proposed Solution to Issue Four:
Defamation & the Internet Support Solove’s
proposal for exhausting informal mechanisms when the defendant is not a repeat offender or part of a broadcast or print-media publication
— INTRO.
— HISTORY
— CASES
— ISSUES
SOLUTIONS
Proposed Solutions to Issue Five:
Insufficiency of Remedies Support a loser-pay-all
system
Believe declaratory relief issued in the same publication the defamatory statement was released as the most sufficient remedy
— INTRO.
— HISTORY
— CASES
— ISSUES
SOLUTIONS
Final Thoughts
The twist in defamation law cannot be fully straightened because of its very nature, but perhaps, it can be slightly untwisted with new revision of the old law.
— INTRO.
— HISTORY
— CASES
— ISSUES
SOLUTIONS
Major Sources Collins, Matthew. 2005. The Law of Defamation and the Internet. New York, N.Y.:
Oxford University Press, INC. Curtis Publishing Company v Butts, 388 US 130 (1967)
<http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cgibin/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=388&invol=13> (accessed 20 September 2009).
Gertz v. Robert Welch, INC., 418 US 323 (1974) < http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cgi-bin/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=418&invol=323> (accessed 19 September
2009). Kupferman, Theodore R. ed. 1990. Defamation: Libel and Slander: Readings from
Communication and the Law, I. Westport, Connecticut: Meckler Corporation. Milo, Dario. 2008. Defamation and Freedom of Speech. New York, N.Y.: Oxford
University Press. Mulvey, Laura. 1975. “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.” In The Routledge
Critical and Cultural Theory Reader. 2008. Eds. Neil Badmington and Julia Thomas. New York, N.Y.: Routledge. 202-212.
New York Times Company v. Sullivan, 376 US 254 (1964) <http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=376&invol=254>
(accessed 20 September 2009). Philadelphia Newspapers, INC v. Hepps, 475 US 767 (1987)
<http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?navby=search&court=US&case=/us/475/767.html> (accessed 19 September 2009).
Major Sources Schwartz, Victor E., Kathryn Kelly, and David F. Partlett. 2005. Prosser, Wade, and
Schwartz’s Torts: Eleventh Edition. New York, N.Y.: Foundation Press. Siegel, Paul. 2008. Communication Law in America: Second Edition. New York,
N.Y.: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, INC. Smolla, Rodney A. 1986. Suing the Press. New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press,
INC. Solove, Daniel J. 2007. The Future of Reputation. New Haven, C.T.: Yale University
Press. Time, Inc. v. Hill, 385 U.S. 374 (1967)
<http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cgibin/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=385&invol=374> (accessed 19 September 2009).
Tocqueville, Alexis de. 1840. “Equality of Condition.” In Classic Readings in American Politics: 3rd Edition. 1999. Eds. Pietro S. Nivola and David H. Rosenbloom. New York, N.Y.: Worth Publishers INC. 3-8.
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