Archive for Media Relations in Sport

02.10.11

‘Media Relations in Sport’ ch. 12 ‘Law and Ethics’

Posted in Media Relations in Sport at 6:03 pm by

Summary

Chapter 12 informs the reader on the history of law and ethics in the U.S., and how it pertains to journalists and others in the communication field.  A brief history of various constitutional rights and laws are shared, tied in to how the modern laws that directly affect the reporting of journalists and the sharing of information.  The rights of athletes, politicians, and celebrities are drawn out in detail.

Copyright, Trademarks, Intellectual property, and patents are explained in a manner vital to the successful journalist, and how they must be approached.

With ethics, topics like: accountability, conflict of interest, accuracy, and various regulations and laws are explained.

Key Terms

SID- Sports information director

Defamation- slander or libel against a group or individual.  Libel is written defamation, while slander is spoken.

Intellectual Property- Copyright, Trademarks, and patents all qualify as intellectual property.

Fair Use- news reporting, comments, research, or other educational uses of copyrighted work (“Limitations,” 2005).

FOIA- Freedom of Information Act; works to allow transparency and access to government information and databases.

Key Points

Elements of defamation can include

  • statement made
  • statement heard or published to at least one other person
  • plaintiff identified in the statement (Carter et al., 2006)

People not considered ‘celebrities’ have more protection by the government from defamation and exploitation of private information than those who are (athletes, actors, certain corporations and companies).

Goverment in Sunshine Act – requires government agencies to keep meetings open to the public

FERPA and HIPPA- FERPA (Federal Educational Right to Privacy Act) provides protection to students from the disclosure of private records to those not given permission(“Family,” 2010).  HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) allows disclosure of information deemed necessary for a patient’s care (Health information, 2010).