The multi-district litigation panel on Thursday halted dozens of lawsuits alleging that Meta, TikTok and other social media platforms exploit underage users and cause them physical and emotional harm, centralizing them in the Northern District of California. Foley — currently a certified mediator by the Florida District Court System Board of Directors and an instructor in Full Sail University`s Master of New Media Journalism program — pursued law school after frequently reviewing bachelor`s packages as a broadcast journalist. She fell in love with the legal side of the industry, representing filmmakers, musicians and other professionals in their licensing, contract and performance contracts. Below, she shares three common legal issues journalists face and how best to avoid them. An example of state laws designed to promote media freedom, particularly to ensure that regulators do not use technology or technology-based arguments to undermine media freedom, is the Icelandic Modern Media Initiative (IMMI). Although there are also laws such as the Racial Regulation Act of 1976, it states that it is illegal to treat a person in an unpleasant and unfair manner solely on the basis of their race, be it the color of their skin, ethnic origin, nationality, etc. It helped create racial equality and made discrimination and victimisation illegal throughout Britain. Affirmative action is also illegal when a person may be given better roles or opportunities simply because of their skin color or ethnic race. This law means that it is important for the media not to portray different ethnic groups differently because of their appearance or race.
Whether it`s stereotypes or just active discrimination. This can only be allowed in certain circumstances, for example, films can represent these points of view if they focus on a historical theme. This can be seen in Quentin Tarantino`s film “Django Unchained”, in which he is portrayed as a slave due to time. Legal issues in journalism are one of the many topics explored by students in Full Sail University`s Master of Arts in New Media Journalism program. Click here to learn more about Full Sail`s accelerated online programs and start your path to a master`s degree today. Data protection is both an ethical and a legal issue. The Voncom Broadcasting Code and the Publisher`s Code of Conduct warn journalists against intrusion into an individual`s private life, unless warranted by a case of public interest. Gender can often be an issue that is ignored and almost overlooked by the media when it comes to restrictions. Indeed, casual sexism, often through stereotypes, is exceptionally common in society. However, this does not mean that it should be allowed. This could include films or shows that portray women in stereotypical roles such as housekeepers and housewives, or that are shown to be less physically capable than men and therefore perform menial tasks.
This can also be the case in men, but is much less common in the media. It is not surprising, however, that many people find gender discrimination offensive and unpleasant in both directions. Fortunately, great strides have been made in recent years to challenge these gender stereotypes in film and television, which has allowed these problems to become less prevalent in modern media. Sexual orientation is also a sensitive topic that people in the media are getting used to more and more, with different sexual orientations slowly becoming more accepted in society. Nevertheless, it is important not to offend people of different orientations, whether they identify as heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, transsexual, doubtful, etc. Indeed, it is very easy to impose a stereotype on these different groups of people, whether it is stereotypes about their voice, their personality, their professional role, etc. People will find this offensive, whether or not they identify as one of them, simply because it is disrespectful to these groups of people. Often, when these insults and stereotypes are shown, it will be more common in film and television. While it`s very rare to see video games with characters of different sexual orientations, it`s a factor that is slowly evolving as the gaming industry makes more effort to incorporate a wider range of orientations into its games.
For now, however, this is still a rare event, and members of these groups may feel offended and alienated by the fact that their orientation in the gaming industry is not as strong as it should be. Intellectual property. Companies need to be aware of their own business identity and also of third-party brands. Registering a trademark protects against misuse by third parties and allows you, as the business owner, to control when and how the trademark and documents can be used. Consider registering your trademark or service mark as a username on social media sites. For example, it would be fairly easy for Coca-Cola® to sue for misuse of its logo on an independent Facebook page because the company has taken steps to register the logo as a trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. While not impossible, it is much more difficult to assert a right in a logo or trademark if no actual ownership of the logo or trademark can be claimed.
These restrictions can compromise your ability to post certain types of content online, especially if you`re raising a controversial point or criticizing someone. You may face situations where your online activities are approaching the legal “gray area” between protected and unprotected speech, and offended people may pressure your hosting service or website operator to remove material they deem illegal or simply dislike. Many web hosts remove content or terminate your account if they receive a complaint or find the content offensive, provided their terms of service allow it. The recent $625,000 weight loss supplement class action lawsuit, sponsored by Dr. Oz, shows that litigation — from the merits of claims to non-monetary relief agreements — can significantly reduce the alleged multimillion-dollar liability a defendant has to pay out of pocket, says Taft`s Michael Zbiegien. With new NGOs dedicated to defending individual cases and introducing strategic prosecutions to help the media defend their rights, and existing NGOs campaigning strongly for greater legal recognition of the right to freedom of expression, international civil society may be well placed to act. As explained here, there may be a need to conduct research on the extent to which the abolition of criminal defamation laws has simply led to a shift of activities to other areas of law in order to inform future civil society actions.