The Law of Public Communication

Now in its 14th edition, this classic textbook provides an up-to-date overview of communication and media law relevant to the work of writers, broadcasters, public relations practitioners, photographers, bloggers, and other public communicators.

The book examines libel, privacy, intellectual property, obscenity, and access to information, tracing the development and current state of the relevant law and explaining its effects on public, political, and commercial communication. The 14th edition discusses recent U.S. Supreme Court cases involving social media content moderation. It also examines the Trump administration’s changes to policies governing subpoenas and search warrants used to identify reporters’ confidential sources, along with restrictions on press access to the White House and Pentagon. New state-level coverage addresses restrictions and exemptions in freedom of information laws and evolving interpretations of shield laws. The book also explores emerging copyright, trademark, and privacy issues raised by artificial intelligence.

The Law of Public Communication is an ideal textbook for undergraduate and graduate courses in communication law and mass media law.

A test bank for instructors is available at www.routledge.com/9781041369370.