Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 3 of 3
Full-Text Articles in Law
Press Benefits And The Public Imagination, Erin C. Carroll
Press Benefits And The Public Imagination, Erin C. Carroll
Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works
In an era when the press faces unprecedented challenges, those who believe in the importance of a free press find themselves playing defense. Press advocates have been forced to articulate, with renewed clarity and urgency, why the press is not merely important but vital to an effective democracy and why it needs to be saved from a “death spiral” and an “extinction-level event.” These arguments often focus on the crucial role the press plays—the “press function,” as lawyers call it—in informing the public, holding power to account, and facilitating democratic discourse.
Scholars and commentators generally discuss the press function through …
Obstruction Of Journalism, Erin C. Carroll
Obstruction Of Journalism, Erin C. Carroll
Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works
Identifying oneself as press used to be a near-grant of immunity. It meant safer passage through all manner of dangerous terrain. But today, being recognizable as a journalist may be more likely to make one a target.
Physical attacks against journalists in the United States increased nearly 1,300 percent in 2020. The rate of online violence against journalists is also soaring. This violence is aimed almost entirely at women, people of color, non-Christians, and non-straight journalists. It silences voices already relegated to the edges. Rather than letting our national conversation branch, the violence attempts to shear it to a white, …
Making News: Balancing Newsworthiness And Privacy In The Age Of Algorithms, Erin C. Carroll
Making News: Balancing Newsworthiness And Privacy In The Age Of Algorithms, Erin C. Carroll
Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works
In deciding privacy lawsuits against media defendants, courts have for decades deferred to the media. They have given it wide berth to determine what is newsworthy and so, what is protected under the First Amendment. And in doing so, they have often spoken reverently of the editorial process and journalistic decision-making.
Yet, in just the last several years, news production and consumption has changed dramatically. As we get more of our news from digital and social media sites, the role of information gatekeeper is shifting from journalists to computer engineers, programmers, and app designers. The algorithms that the latter write …