The Citizen Media Law Project (CMLP) is currently involved in a number of exciting projects, including the following:
Legal Guide: The CMLP is creating a comprehensive legal guide for individuals and organizations involved in online and citizen media. The guide covers topics ranging from how to form a business to how to use freedom of information and open meetings laws to get access to information, meetings, and governmental records, as well as other legal subjects such as risks associated with online publication, including discussion of defamation and privacy torts; legal issues related to newsgathering; use of copyrighted and trademarked materials; and special risks associated with covering elections.
In July 2008, we completed the initial launch of the guide, which runs more than 575 pages and covers the fifteen most populous U.S. states and the District of Columbia. Users of the guide can search by keyword, browse by state, or simply browse by section. The guide is broken into six major sections:
Database of Legal Threats: The CMLP is creating a database of lawsuits, subpoenas, and other legal actions involving citizen media.national database compiles detailed information and supporting materials about lawsuits, cease and desist letters, subpoenas, and other legal threats and actions directed at citizen journalists/media who engage in online speech. Each threat entry consists of a plain-language description of the case or threat and links to blog or press coverage, if any. Most threats also provide the actual underlying documents, ranging from copies of the cease and desist letters or lawsuit complaints to briefs, court orders and other court documents.
The database is publicly searchable by keyword and by more than 25 distinct data fields, including by state, legal claim, type of publisher, subject area, and date of filing. Users of the database can also do full-text searching of the pleadings and motions associated with each database entry. If you've been threatened with legal action or know of someone who has, please let us know by using our contact form or by entering the information directly into the database through our easy to use threat entry form.
Legal and Journalism Education: The CMLP works with other journalism and new media organizations to provide training and educational materials. In the summer 2007, the CMLP assisted the City University of New York's Graduate School of Journalism in the creation of multimedia modules on the "Top 10 Rules for Limiting Legal Risk" hosted on J-Lab's Knight Citizen News Network.
In September 2008, the CMLP partnered with News University at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies to provide legal expertise for the creation of a course entitled Online Media Law: The Basics for Bloggers and Other Online Publishers. The interactive course was specifically designed for individuals and journalists engaged in online publishing, and covers three important areas of media law -- defamation, privacy, and copyright.
As other organizations begin work on similar educational projects, we anticipate being able to serve as a resource for them by providing legal subject matter expertise and content.
Litigation Referrals, Consultation, and Representation: Lawyers and clinical law students at the CMLP provide legal advice to individuals and organizations that operate citizen media sites. The CMLP is also creating a network of law school clinics, beginning with Harvard Law School's Cyberlaw Clinic and Stanford’s Center for Internet & Society, that are interested in handling litigation in their state or region involving citizen media. The CMLP is also working to establish a citizen media defense bar consisting of media lawyers in private practice who are willing to take on citizen media cases pro bono.
Advocacy and Coalition Building: The CMLP provides research and advocacy on free speech, newsgathering, intellectual property, and other legal issues related to citizen media. One of our first projects is to cultivate support for state and federal shield laws that protect all acts of journalism. Future projects include tracking the current status of various state sunshine and open meetings laws and seeking to develop grassroots support for their expansion in ways that will benefit citizen media.
Printer-friendly version
