Suing the Press: Libel, the Media, and Power PDF
277 Pages·1987·19.612 MB·other
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Preview Suing the Press: Libel, the Media, and Power
Description:
From Carol Burnett vs. The National Enquirer
to William Westmoreland vs. CBS, lawsuits against the media have made
their own headlines in recent years. This spirited account offers a
close look at these attacks on the press and what they reveal about
American culture, the legal system and libel law, and the way the press
operates.
Why, Rodney Smolla asks, have so many people - people
as various as Ralph Nader, Clint Eastwood, Lillian Hellman, and Jerry
Falwell - taken to suing the press? Are they mainly interested in money,
vengeance, or the restoration of honor? Is the press under fire because
it has grown too arrogant? Are Americans becoming too thin-skinned, too
devoted to self-image? How important is the protection of reputation
and privacy in American society?
To shed light on these and other issues, Smolla examines both individual lawsuits and broader themes
involving the economics of media litigation, the cultural forces that
affect libel judgments, and the special problems posed by particular
types of expression, such as fictional works. The media outlets
discussed are as varied as the personalitiess initiating the suits -
from The Washington Post and The New York Times to Penthouse and Hustler.
Always lively and provocative, this book reveals much about the media's
shortcomings and virtues, as well as the American character itself.
to William Westmoreland vs. CBS, lawsuits against the media have made
their own headlines in recent years. This spirited account offers a
close look at these attacks on the press and what they reveal about
American culture, the legal system and libel law, and the way the press
operates.
Why, Rodney Smolla asks, have so many people - people
as various as Ralph Nader, Clint Eastwood, Lillian Hellman, and Jerry
Falwell - taken to suing the press? Are they mainly interested in money,
vengeance, or the restoration of honor? Is the press under fire because
it has grown too arrogant? Are Americans becoming too thin-skinned, too
devoted to self-image? How important is the protection of reputation
and privacy in American society?
To shed light on these and other issues, Smolla examines both individual lawsuits and broader themes
involving the economics of media litigation, the cultural forces that
affect libel judgments, and the special problems posed by particular
types of expression, such as fictional works. The media outlets
discussed are as varied as the personalitiess initiating the suits -
from The Washington Post and The New York Times to Penthouse and Hustler.
Always lively and provocative, this book reveals much about the media's
shortcomings and virtues, as well as the American character itself.
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