MCOM 4003 - Gwen Gunnels

 Freedom of Information Act  The Freedom of Information Act is a "vital part of our democracy."  According to FOIA.gov , the FOIA "provides the public the right to request access to records from any federal agency." The act is essential to keeping American citizens informed about the government. Many people who are ill-informed of our rights as U.S. citizens are not aware of the Freedom of Information Act, what it entails, and how you can request information from a federal agency.     FOIA.gov answers many of the questions generally asked about the Freedom of Information Act. One of which being, "who can make a FOIA request?" The answer is anyone, "citizen or not." There are several steps that need to be taken before making a FOIA request. First, the individual must ensure that information that is desired is not already available publically. Federal agencies are required to post certain categories of information online and there is much informati...

 Media Law and Ethics in Russia  Persons from the United States are usually unknowledgeable of the media laws used in other countries. Of course, U.S. citizens are privileged to have laws that protect their rights to obtain accurate information and speak their minds on specific issues; however, this is not the case in many countries worldwide. In some places, governments control citizens' rights to hear information and will spread misinformation to advance their agenda. Knowing the media laws and ethics used in other countries is vital to make changes, and those outside the country can highlight the issue. Currently, the war raging in Ukraine has sparked questions regarding Russian news. Of course, there is misinformation on both sides; however, what is the government in Russia telling its citizens? According to UN News , the Human Rights Council  pointed out a statement made by the UN rights office:  “While the Government claims that the purpose of the new legislati...

Misinformation on Social Media In the last few years, misinformation has been an important topic, especially regarding social media. Because everyone has the privilege of posting information online, it is easy for someone to construct a story and share it with the world. All it takes is for one person to share the post for the misinformation to spread. Every day, something will go viral, and then primary news sources and magazines write articles about how a viral post was fact-checked and proved to be "fake news." Political propaganda is usually the main topic of discussion regarding misinformation. You can never fully trust what you see online, so fact-checking is essential to social media viewership.  Facebook is usually the social media platform put under fire for misinformation. During the 2020 election, 180 m illion posts were proved to be false between March and November 3rd . It sparks a conversation about the trustworthiness of social media and what needs to be done. ...

Exploitation: True Crime Cases Exploitation is defined as "the action or fact of treating someone unfairly in order to benefit from their work;" it is also defined as "the action of making use of and benefiting from recourses."   Regardless of someone's definition, exploitation is used every day in different circumstances, including in the news. For example, companies, politicians, and people, in general, will exploit a story for personal gain or promote their cause rather than to spread awareness or share the facts of an event. One instance of this is news channels extending fake news to make a point or gain favor for a political party.  One topic that is controversially exploited to a significant degree is true crime. Many people enjoy educating themselves through true crime stories because they find them entertaining or interesting. Not all entertainment programs that discuss true crime are exploitive; however, many can agree that some mediums will exploit t...

 Copyright and Fair Use  Copyright is a general term taught to young students all over the world. Merriam-Webster   describes copyright as " the exclusive legal right to reproduce, publish, sell, or distribute the matter and form of something (such as a literary, musical, or artistic work)." Copyright is essential, especially for writers and artists who do not want people to plagiarize their work or do not want people using their work for any reason. Although most copyright laws restrict people from using specific pieces, there is a term that many do not know, f air use. Fair use is described as " a legal doctrine that portions of copyrighted materials may be used without permission of the copyright owner provided the use is fair and reasonable, does not substantially impair the value of the materials, and does not curtail the profits reasonably expected by the owner." Fair use does not mean one can use what they want when they want; that would go against the funda...

 Reporter's Privilege  According to The First Amendment Encyclopedia , " The idea behind reporter's privilege is that journalists have a limited First Amendment right not to be forced to reveal information or confidential news sources in court." In other words, journalists have the right to protect their confidential sources, those who did not want their name mentioned in the journalist's work.  Reporter's privilege is different depending on the state . For example, Wyoming has no shield law, while Texas recognizes the privilege but allows exceptions. Under Arkansas law, reporter's privilege is a right found under Article 2, section 6 of the Arkansas Constitution , along with the United States Constitution. Article 2, section 6 of the Arkansas Constitution says:  "The liberty of the press shall forever remain inviolate. The free communication of thoughts and opinions, is one of the invaluable rights of man; and all persons may freely write and publish...