Finding a Mass Media Paper Topic

University of Michigan Law Library

Seth Quidachay-Swan

Faculty Services & Reference Librarian

September 20, 2011

Road Map

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1. Basics

2. Where to Get Ideas

3. Sources for Further Information

Basics

• Your Paper Topic Should Be:– Something that Interests You– Narrow Topic– Research-able– Current

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Possible Topics

• What should the subject be?– First Amendment (Obscenity, Hate Speech, etc.)– Privacy Rights– FCC Regulation– Governance of the Internet– Journalistic Privilege– Libel & Defamation– Intellectual Property Rights

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Where to Start

• Think while you read and watch television– TV News– Magazines – The Week, Wired, New Yorker– Newspapers – New York Times, Wall Street Journal– Online – Slate, Media Law Prof. Blog (etc.), News

Briefs

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Some Websites For Possible Topics

• http://bailiwick.lib.uiowa.edu/journalism/mediaLaw/1st_amendment_txt.html (List of First Amendment and Freedom of Expression Resources)

• http://tully.syr.edu/resources.cfm (List of academic centers on Media Law in New York and Nationwide)

• http://www.virtualchase.com/topics/first_amendment.shtml (A list of websites related to 1st Amendment Law)

• http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/firstamendment/firstamendmenthome.htm (Exploring First Amendment Law)

• http://www.privsecblog.com/promo/about/ (Privacy and Security Law Blog)• http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/firstamendment/ (First Amendment Law Professor

Blog)• http://avalon.law.yale.edu/subject_menus/constpap.asp (Avalon Project Documents in

Law, History and Diplomacy)• http://www.abajournal.com/blawgs/topic/media+communications+law/ ( ABA List of

Popular Media & Communications Law Blogs)• http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/media_law_prof_blog/ (Media Law Professors Blog )

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Non-Profits Organizations Devoted to 1st Amendment & Media Law

• ACLU Free Speech: http://www.aclu.org/free-speech • Berkman Center for Internet & Society: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/ • Center for Democracy and Technology : http://www.cdt.org/ • Citizens Internet Empowerment Coalition : http://www.ciec.org/ • Citizens Media Law Project: http://www.citmedialaw.org/ • Electronic Privacy Information Center : http://epic.org/ • First Amendment Center : http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/ • Free Expression Policy Project : http://www.fepproject.org/ • Free Speech Movement Digital : http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/FSM/ • Citizen Media Law Project: http://www.citmedialaw.org/database • Electronic Frontier Foundation : http://www.eff.org/ • Reporters Committee for the Freedom of Press : http://www.rcfp.org/ • James Madison Center for Free Speech: http://www.jamesmadisoncenter.org/• People for the American Way: http://site.pfaw.org/site/PageServer?pagename=homepagenew• Media Institute/National Freedom of Speech Week http://www.mediainstitute.org/NFSW/2007/index.html• Media Law Resource Center: http://www.medialaw.org/ • Thomas Jefferson Center: http://www.tjcenter.org/ • Society of Professional Journalists: http://www.spj.org/firstamendment.asp • Student Press Law Center: http://www.splc.org/ • To find more associations on media law and first amendment, search Associations Unlimited (

http://mirlyn.lib.umich.edu/Record/003304973) by keyword or subject

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Other Sources of Information

• eBrary – recent monographs and e-books• Proquest Research Library – full-text law, non-

law and popular press journals and magazines• Access World News – full-text of 800+

worldwide English language newspapers• Lexis & Westlaw news databases• University Library Resources: full-text e-books

and journals individually listed in Mirlyn or as databases in Search Tools.

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Now I have a Topic

• Start with Secondary Sources– Treatises

• Book lists – Major Treatises in Various Subject Areas– Civil Rights & Liberties (includes Free Speech), Privacy, Computers & the

Internet, Entertainment Law, Libel & Slander

• Use Keyword or Subject Searches in Mlaw Catalog– Some Possible Subjects:

» Book industries and trade law and legislation; Confidential communications Press; Journal Legal status, laws, etc; Obscenity (law); Privacy, Right of; Advertising, Newspaper Law and legislation; Electronic Publishing Law and Legislation

– Law Reviews and Journals• Lexis & Westlaw Journals Database• Index to Legal Periodicals & Index to Legal Periodicals Retro

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Research Sources

• 3 Campus Systems– Law Library – Mlaw Catalog– University Library – Mirlyn– Kresge Business Administration Library

• Many of the Kresge’s Library Resources must be accessed on-site.

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Where to Find More E-Resources

• Three E-Resource Lists on Campus– Law Library Electronic Resources– University Library Search Tools– Kresge Business Library Electronic Resources

• Many Kresge resources must be used on-site

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Further Assistance

Ask a Law Librarian– Visit the Reference Desk (Sub-1 of the Law Library)– Call: 734-9324– Email: askalawlibrarian@umich.edu– Chat– Research Consultations

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