Are you capturing all community voices? Published July 20, 2020 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant Minnesota is in the spotlight following the recent death of a black man during a police arrest. Racial unrest has erupted everywhere and forced all institutions and organizations – everyone – to examine attitudes toward...
Trump Hits the Wall of Courts’ Prior Restraint Precedents
Trump Hits the Wall of Courts' Prior Restraint Precedents Published July 13, 2020 By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications President Trump’s campaign and family have both tried in recent weeks—and earlier in his presidency—to stop publication of books and other things that may be uncomfortable...
Guide to aggressive reporting? Begin with the basics.
Guide to aggressive reporting? Start with the basics. Published July 2, 2020 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant A publisher once asked how I defined aggressive reporting. During my tenure at the Red Wing Republican Eagle, we considered it our badge of honor. If someone threw up roadblocks to information we...
Read any good catalogs lately?
Read any good catalogs lately? By John Foust, Advertising Trainer Over the years, I’ve heard ad professionals talk about the outstanding copywriting that can be found in catalogs. Of course, there are other approaches to advertising creativity, but catalogs excel when it comes to descriptions of product features and benefits.Some...
Turning Bye Back to a Buy: Never Give Up
Turning Bye Back to a Buy: Never Give Up Published June 16, 2020 By Tom Silvestri, The Relevance Project The quickest way to ruin a publisher's or advertising director's day -- or budget -- is for a major advertiser to quit.As a former longtime publisher, I know that pain.A NAM...
Protests, Free Speech and Press Freedom
Protests, Free Speech and Press Freedom Published June 16, 2020 By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications The past few weeks have been tumultuous and tragic, with an ongoing pandemic, large (peaceful) protests against police misconduct and riots in some places that involved destruction of property...
Thank you, S.C. journalists
Thank you, S.C. journalists Published June 3, 2020 By Bill Rogers, Executive Director These are very tough but important times for South Carolina journalists.Demonstrations continue over the death of George Floyd at the hands of police.We have seen legal protests turn into violent confrontations with cars set afire, businesses damaged...
Daniel Island News publisher to lead state press association
Daniel Island News publisher to lead S.C. Press Association Suzanne Detar, publisher of The Daniel Island News, has been elected president of the South Carolina Press Association. Suzanne Detar, publisher of The Daniel Island News, has been elected president of the S.C. Press Association after a digital vote of the...
In search of the perfect headline
In search of the perfect headline By John Foust, Advertising Trainer Years ago, a keynote speaker at a local Ad Club meeting asked us to put ourselves in a consumer’s shoes. “Let’s say your name is John Doe,” he said. “One day you’re turning the pages of the newspaper and...
Patient Privacy in the Time of Coronavirus: The Limits of HIPAA
Patient Privacy in the Time of Coronavirus: The Limits of HIPAA Published May 19, 2020 By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications Covid-19 has of course dominated the media for more than two months, with exhaustive coverage of the pandemic, the shutdown of much ordinary activities,...
Advertising is a problem-solving business
Advertising is a problem-solving business By John Foust, Advertising Trainer When I heard the doorbell ring that Saturday afternoon, I did something I had never done before. I bought something from a door-to-door salesperson.It was a pest control representative who was canvassing the neighborhood for new business. The logo on...
Death Certificates
Death Certificates Published April 28, 2020 By SCPA Attorney Jay Bender When I die, I expect friends, acquaintances, and perhaps strangers to ask a common question, “How did he die?” The answer to that question for all persons who die in South Carolina is recorded on an official state record—a...
Is your company data safe during COVID-19?
Is your company data safe during COVID-19? By Randall Savely, SCPA Director of Operations Over the past several weeks, many of us have begun using work structures that look much different than our normal structures. Like our office, perhaps your office’s data security policies were not prepared to deal with...
Is There a Legal Remedy for Coronavirus “Fake News”?
By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications President Trump, various federal officials and several governors have been criticized for initially failing to acknowledge the threat posed by the coronavirus and by doing so leading some to a false sense of complacency and that the threat was...
Prepare a go-bag for presentations
By John Foust, Advertising Trainer Richard is an advertiser who has seen years of sales presentations. His pet peeve is any salesperson who shows up unprepared. “It’s a waste of valuable time to be in a meeting where someone is not ready for the topic at hand,” he said. “I...
If this Headline Catches Your Attention, Can it be Libel?
If this Headline Catches Your Attention, Can it be Libel? Published March 2020 By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications A news headline – whether on the printed page or online – is meant to draw attention to the article that follows. It is a short,...
Public meetings in a time of pandemic
Public meetings in a time of pandemic Published March 11, 2020 By SCPA Attorney Jay Bender The current strategy to stall the spread of the highly contagious COVID-19 virus is the maintenance of “social distance,” personal hygiene and youth. On the social distance side of the ledger, the Columbia Mayor...
It’s all about the benefits
It’s all about the benefits By John Foust, Advertising Trainer Rob is the marketing director for an outdoor apparel company. I remember a conversation with him about his philosophy of promoting their products. “It’s all about benefits,” he said. “Every time a new product is developed – or an existing...
Sealed Mulvaney case shows rules for sealing court documents
Sealed Mulvaney case shows rules for sealing court documents Published February 2020 By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications On the surface, a legal case with an appeal currently pending before the South Carolina Court of Appeals looks like a technical business case resulting from a...
It pays to pay attention
It pays to pay attention By John Foust, Advertising Trainer Abby, who owns a retail store, told me about an appointment with a salesperson from her local newspaper. “I did plenty of research before I contacted him and decided to run a campaign in his paper. When I called him,...
In Test of Revised FOIA, Judge Rules Against Last-Minute Agenda Additions
In test of revised FOIA, judge rules against last-minute agenda additions Published Jan. 2020 By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications A recent common pleas court decision appears to be the first application of recent changes to South Carolina’s Freedom of Information Law, and requirements for public...
Get prospects involved in your presentations
Get prospects involved in your presentations By John Foust, Advertising Trainer Back in my ad agency days, I remember hearing and reading about the importance of getting prospects involved in sales presentations. At that point in my young career, I had experienced the difficulty of getting – and holding –...
Tales of FOIA and Secrets, Then and Now
Tales of FOIA and Secrets, Then and Now Published December 2019 By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications The Pentagon Papers case, in which the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the Nixon administration’s attempt to bar publication of a detailed history of American involvement in southeast Asia...
Summerville Communications, Georgetown Communications name Kelly-Gilbert publisher
Summerville Communications, Georgetown Communications name Kelly-Gilbert publisher Susan Kelly-Gilbert has joined Summerville Communications as its new publisher and advertising manager.She is also publisher of Georgetown Communications, which publishes the Georgetown Times and South Strand News.Kelly-Gilbert began with the community news organization in October, working out of the company’s Summerville office...
Meet them where they are
Meet them where they are By John Foust, Advertising Trainer Tim manages an ad sales team. “When I started my career in the newspaper business, I quickly learned that advertisers can be worlds apart in their knowledge of marketing,” he said. “That’s why one of my favorite sales principles is...
Garnet Media Group national wins
USC's Garnet Media Group wins multiple first-place honors in prestigious national student media contests Efforts by creative services team and student-run organizations recognized with 17 awardsGarnet Media Group, also known as the Office of Student Media at the University of South Carolina, recently earned national honors in four awards contests...
I love you guys
I love you guys By Ed Henninger, Newspaper Design Consultant I’ve been a consultant for 30 years…a newspaper editor and manager for 20 years before that. At the end of this year, I’ll retire — officially, and for good. It’s been a wonderful, exciting ride and I’ve been blessed in...
South Carolina Appeals Court Ruling Outlines Libel Law Principles
South Carolina Appeals Court Ruling Outlines Libel Law Principles Published Nov. 2019 By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications On Nov. 6, a three-judge panel of the South Carolina Court of Appeals affirmed the grant of summary judgment to the former owner of the Charleston City...
The value of simplicity
The value of simplicity By John Foust, Advertising Trainer Statisticians disagree on the number of commercial messages we are exposed to each day. Some say 1,000. Some say as many as 3,000. And others claim the number is closer to 20,000. With estimates all over the map, all I can...
25 on-the-job ideals
25 on-the-job ideals By Ed Henninger, Newspaper Design Consultant After more than 30 years as the Director of Henninger Consulting, the time has come for me to shift my attention to Julia, family, grandkids and guitar. I’m not the “retiring type,” but I will become so at the end of...
October Media Law Updates
Media Law Updates: ADA Suit Against S.C. Newspaper; FCC Net Neutrality Repeal Upheld, While Repeal of Cross-Ownership Ban Vacated Published Oct. 16, 2019 By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications ADA Lawsuit Over South Carolina Newspaper’s Web Site: In August I wrote about the question of...
Legal Q&A: Can/should an agency require a person filing a FOI request include name, telephone number, physical address?
Legal Q&A (10.16.19) Q. Can/should an agency require a person filing a FOI request include name, telephone number, physical address? By SCPA Attorney Taylor Smith A. Public bodies, including, but limited to, state agencies, are not required to gather contact information of a SCFOIA requester beyond what is necessary to...
The super sales person who wasn’t so super, after all
The super sales person who wasn’t so super, after all By John Foust, Advertising Trainer Jim was a super sales person. He was so good that he broke all kinds of records at the publishing company where he worked. He consistently brought in more new business than anyone else on...
Right and left brain selling
Right and left brain selling By John Foust, Advertising Trainer Diane was telling me about her early days in selling. “One day stands out in my mind,” she said. “I had back-to-back appointments with two different prospects to talk about a special section. The first person was interested in what...
You’ll never hear me say…
You’ll never hear me say… By Ed Henninger, Newspaper Design Consultant Thirty years is a long time for a career as a consultant. It’s time for me to shift my attention to Julia, family, grandkids and guitar. I’m not the “retiring type,” but I will become so at the end...
Are Newspaper Carriers Employees or Independent Contractors?
Are Newspaper Carriers Employees or Independent Contractors? Published Sept. 18, 2018 By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications While many newspapers’ circulations—in the form of physical papers delivered to homes and offices—have declined in recent years, the carriers who deliver the physical newspapers continue to be...
The power of restraint
The power of restraint By John Foust, Advertising Trainer On an out-of-state trip, I saw a billboard that compelled me to pull off the road to take a closer look. What was so unusual? It had more words than I had ever seen on a billboard – 45 words. “What...
Trustees’ attorneys release details of Scott settlement
Trustees’ attorneys release details of Scott settlement By Graham Williams, Union County NewsPublished in the newspaper on Aug. 19, 2019Picked up by the SCPA eBulletin on Aug. 28, 2019As part of the settlement agreement between Billy Scott and the Union County Board of School Trustees both parties agreed to release...
Does your website violate the law?
Does your website violate the law? Published August 2019 By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications When signing the Americans with Disability Act in late July 1990, President George H.W. Bush said that under the law “every man, woman, and child with a disability can now...
Localize national rural health issues
Localize national rural health issues By Al Cross, Into the Issues Rural communities have been disproportionately affected by the opioid epidemic, but rural newspapers have been disproportionately quiet about it. They seem to cover it as a criminal-justice problem, when it is primarily a health problem. Smart law enforcers and...
Don’t accept “I don’t like it”
Don’t accept “I don’t like it” By Ed Henninger, Newspaper Design Consultant I’ve been consulting since June, 1989. Thirty years is a long time and it’s time for me to retire and shift my attention to Julia, family, grandkids and guitar. Over for the next few months, I’m offering some of...
Creating believable advertising
Creating believable advertising By John Foust, Advertising Trainer “Willing suspension of disbelief” is a cornerstone of entertainment. The term was coined in 1817 by poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, author of “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” It refers to the fact that an audience must temporarily suspend rational judgment in...
Words and Deeds
Words and Deeds Published July 2019 By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications In 2017, when signing a law to strengthen the state’s Freedom of Information Act, Governor McMaster said that “[g]overnment has to be accountable to the people it serves, and its citizens should have...
USC president search skirts FOIA
USC president search skirts FOIA Published July 2019 By SCPA Attorney Jay Bender Well, this is a fine kettle of fish. The group that hired a president who treated public money as a slush fund, then replaced him with a president who moved out of the president's residence in a...
How writers can do better
By Ed Henninger, Newspaper Design Consultant | I have often stated—both on my blog and during presentations—that I am not a friend of writers. I am a friend of readers.
The stock market for ad ideas
By John Foust, Advertising Trainer | Daniel told me about an ad he created for a commercial real estate firm. “They prided themselves on the hard work they did for their customers. Their marketing manager said ‘shoe leather’ was their secret of success. When I heard that, I knew it...
Legal Q&A: Selling photo goods
Legal Q&A: Selling photo goods (July 2019) Q. Is it legally appropriate to offer an online marketplace through my newspaper’s website whereby a customer can have an image or video published by the paper to be placed on a new product for sale (i.e. coffee mug, calendar, digital picture/video frame)?...
Legal Q&A: Can an individual advertise guns for sale in the classifieds?
Legal Q&A: Advertising gun sales (July 2019) Q: Can an individual advertise guns for sale in the classifieds? By SCPA Attorney Jay Bender A: If your question is intended to provide guidance to a prospective advertiser, my suggestion is that you tell the seller that he or she must consult...
Continuity, Cooperation, Credibility and Commitment
By Peter Wagner | One of our printing customers includes the following observation just above the signature line on all his emails: “To say you don’t need newspapers because you’ve got the internet is like saying you don’t need farmers because you’ve got a grocery store.” In almost every community...
A refresher on camera’s in S.C. courtroom rules and procedures
By SCPA Attorney Jay Bender | Editor’s note: This is a column Jay Bender wrote in 2013. Little has changed and Jay says this column is must reading. An appropriate photo of Jay is also published!
Social Media Insights Lab opens at University of South Carolina
Tom Reichert, Dean, College of Information & Communications | From how we get our news to how we connect with other people, there’s no doubt that social media has changed the game when it comes to communications. The sheer number of users is staggering. Social media companies measure their base...
Can anti-trust law save newspapers?
By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications | Federal and state anti-trust laws date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, way before the emergence of the modern internet-fueled economy. But increasingly these old laws and concepts are being seen as the means of limiting...
Things designers don’t want to hear
By Ed Henninger, Newspaper Design Consultant | IT HAPPENS all the time at newspapers: Things we don’t want to hear: “We just lost the Hamilton account.” “Now Adobe wants us to pay a monthly subscription price for the software.” “Bob just fell off a step on the press and broke...
A little more, a little less for sales meetings
By John Foust, Advertising Trainer | Kristen told me how she handles one of the biggest challenges of managing her newspaper’s sales department. “Sales meetings – like a lot of other things – fall into predictable patterns,” she said. “The boss talks, the staff members listen, and more often than...
Is your ‘designer’ a designer?
By Ed Henninger, Newspaper Design Consultant | DURING A RECENT phone conversation with a publisher, she said: “We have a designer who does that.” I had seen her paper. She doesn’t have a designer.
Hiding from a school board member
By SCPA Attorney Jay Bender | A member of the Board of Trustees of Lexington School District 1 has had her requests for access to school district financial records denied by the school superintendent.
Legal Q&A: Law enforcement redaction
Q: In response to a S.C. FOIA request, can law enforcement redact information of a personal nature where the public disclosure thereof would constitute unreasonable invasion of personal privacy?
Legal Q&A: Advertising CBD oil
Q: Can I publish advertising for CBD oil? The sort answer is yes. The longer answer is that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that advertising for lawful products may be published without restriction where the advertising is neither false nor misleading. CBD oil may be sold lawfully in South...
A newsrack, a judge, and the First Amendment
By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications | Last week, during jury selection for trial of Timothy Jones, who is accused of killing his five children in Lexington County and dumping their bodies in Alabama in 2014, presiding judge Eugene Griffith Jr. ordered the removal of...
Behaving badly in Mount Pleasant
By SCPA Attorney Jay Bender | I don’t live in Mount Pleasant, but if I were a newspaper columnist writing regularly about the shenanigans of local officials, I’d want to live there. I would never run out of material. Not so long ago the Office of the Attorney General of...
Cut out the attacks on the press
By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications | There was widespread condemnation when Hope Carpenter returned on March 31 to the Greenville church that she and her husband Ron founded in 1991 and expressed her support for the church’s new leaders, John and Aventer Gray.
Legal Q&A: Rerunning syndicated columns
Q: Is it OK to rerun syndicated columns that you originally paid for (for instance old Louis Grizzard columns that had run in our papers a long time ago)?
FOIA suit against S.C. House Republican Caucus
By SCPA Attorney Jay Bender | News organizations and associations, The State Media Company, The Post and Courier, Inc., Gannett GP Media, Inc., South Carolina Press Association, South Carolina Broadcasters Association, and the Associated Press, were rejected in their suit to have the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) applied to...
Does South Carolina’s FOIA end at the border?
By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications | Common Pleas Judge Robert E. Hood’s ruling that the House Republican Caucus is not subject to South Carolina’s Freedom of Information Act is a disturbing result. The caucus uses government resources without charge, and much of the state...
Is New York Times v. Sullivan in danger?
By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications | The basis of modern American media law is the 1964 ruling in New York Times v. Sullivan, in which a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court recognized that the First Amendment required that limitations be placed on defamation law. But...
What to do when a judge closes a courtroom
By SCPA Attorney Jay Bender | You’re in the courtroom to cover a proceeding. You’re not taking photographs or recording the proceeding with your smart phone or other device. You’re doing what reporters have always done—you’re paying attention and taking notes.
The culture of arrogance and secrecy at DHEC
By SCPA Attorney Jay Bender | The board of directors of the state’s largest, and perhaps most vital regulatory agency, the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) announced it had selected a fellow board member to be the agency’s new director.
The government doesn’t dictate media here
By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications | On Jan. 6, 60 Minutes aired an interview with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi with two notable revelations: el-Sisi denied that his country has political prisoners, despite documentation; and he confirmed prior reports that Egyptian and Israeli forces have coordinated in...
Denial of courtroom access because you didn’t fill out a form
By SCPA Attorney Jay Bender | South Carolina has a distinctive constitutional provision that states that all courts shall be public. Art. I, §9 S.C. Constitution. The Supreme Court of South Carolina has consistently ruled that this constitutional provision, as well as the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution,...
Can public officials shut out journalists? It depends…
By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications | It already seems like a long time ago, but it’s only been a month since the Trump administration’s long-simmering clash with CNN reached a new level, with the cancellation of reporter Jim Acosta’s “hard pass” that gave him...
Access to judicial records
By SCPA Attorney Jay Bender | Years ago a young woman named Heather Elvis disappeared in Horry County. Her body has never been found, but two persons have been found guilty in connection with her disappearance.
Legislative corruption and the State Grand Jury
By SCPA Attorney Jay Bender | About five years ago Ashley Landess of the South Carolina Policy Council urged an investigation of then House Speaker Bobby Harrell for misconduct in office. That investigation led to Harrell’s resignation and a guilty plea.
Freelancing FOIA
By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications | South Carolina’s Freedom of Information law provides that “[a]ll materials, regardless of form, gathered by a public body during a search to fill an employment position, except that materials relating to not fewer than the final three applicants...
First Amendment protects free distribution pubs too; new Horry litter ordinance could bring test
By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications | As newspapers have faced economic challenges, many have developed slimmed down versions that feature a few stories and both display and insert advertising. These new publications are offered for free, and are often delivered to individual homes without...
Frustrating FOIA
By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications | Through South Carolina’s Freedom of Information Act, diligent journalists and others have discovered much revealing information about the actions of state and local government in our state. Things recently revealed through FOIA requests have included Anderson County’s failure...
Keeping weapons out of newspaper buildings
By SCPA Attorney Jay Bender | For many years I have advocated that newspapers implement measures to keep strangers out of newsrooms. My initial advocacy was provoked by my observations around the state that many newsrooms seemed to allow anyone off the street to walk through.
Legal Q&A: Obtaining student records
Q: Can I obtain student records from a local public school pursuant to a S.C. FOIA request?
Community newspapers are not a public enemy
By Bill Rogers, Executive Director | Let’s make one thing crystal clear…the press is not the enemy of the American people.
Free press, free people
By SCPA Attorney Jay Bender | Donald J. Trump is a bully and a thug. I could tell you he is a liar, but you and everyone else in America—even his Republican minions in Congress, know that already.
Rhetoric aside, libel and media law haven’t changed that much
By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications | In an initiative fostered by the Boston Globe, newspapers and other news organizations are publishing editorials this week—primarily this Thursday, Aug. 16—denouncing President Trump’s frequent attacks on the news media, including his assertion that the media are “the...
Legal Q&A: Liability of public bodies
Q: Can fulfilling an S.C. FOIA request result in liability for public bodies?
Amending the agenda
By SCPA Attorney Jay Bender | I was in Mount Pleasant recently. It had been years since I had driven north of Shem Creek on Coleman Boulevard. My drive north in search of lunch put into context the Save Shem Creek movement and the desire of many residents to slow...
When perceived libel gets deadly
By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications | There is obviously no justification for the shootings at the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Md., which killed five of the newspaper’s staff and injured two. But in the aftermath of the incident many have looked for causes, including...
Source secrecy in the modern era
By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications | The Justice Department’s accessing of reporter Ali Watkins’s email and phone records as part of a leak investigation is just one of several recent incidents in which the federal government has obtained the digital and other information about...
Legal Q&A: Photographing private property
Q: A local business is not letting our photographer take a photo of a sign on the outside of the building, which says they are closed to do training. Can we insist on taking that photo from their parking lot?
Money laundering made easier
By SCPA Attorney Jay Bender | Money laundering had its origins with crime syndicates. Former SLED chief Robert Stewart said that one of the dangers of South Carolina’s legalization of video poker was that it provided a state-wide network of money laundromats.
The (court)room where it happens
By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications | In the second act of the hit Broadway musical “Hamilton,” the Aaron Burr character expresses his jealousy at being excluded from –and his desire to get into – the meetings that his rival Alexander Hamilton participates in where...
Legal Q&A: Suing a public body from out-of-state
Q: Can I sue a public body for a SCFOIA violation regarding a request for information if I am a resident of another state?
Facebook, privacy and you
By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications | Facebook and its chief executive Mark Zuckerberg are being criticized far and wide for the company’s lax privacy practices after it was revealed that the political data firm Cambridge Analytica had used a seemingly innocuous personality test to...
Legal Q&A: Search and retrieval fees
Q: Does a public body have to charge for the fees associated with search, retrieval, and redaction of records in fulfilling a FOIA request?
Legal Q&A: Right to inspect
Q: Do you have to be a member of the press to inspect incident reports, the minutes from a public meeting, booking/detention information, or all documents that were distributed to or reviewed by a public official during a public meeting?
Public accountability needed after mass shootings
By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications | Less than a week after the horrific shooting spree at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that killed 17 students and staff members, a coalition of 16 news outlets and organizations filed a motion with the...
Legal Q&A: Written FOIA requests
Q: Is a written FOIA request necessary to see records that were distributed to or reviewed by an elected official during a public meeting?
Legal Q&A: Recording public officials
Legal Q&A: Recording public officials (Feb. 2018) Q: Can you record public officials on public property? By SCPA Attorney Taylor Smith A: Yes. The rights under the First Amendment are not absolute but assuming the act of recording does not substantially interfere with the public official’s performance of his or her...
First Amendment February at the U.S. Supreme Court
By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications | February may be the shortest month, but it is full of arguments in major First Amendment cases at the U.S. Supreme Court. And while none of the cases directly involve the media, whenever the High Court considers a...
Washington woes, a Charleston charade and some hope
By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications | When I was a legal fellow at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press we had an “outrage meter” drawn on one of the whiteboards in the reception area. The “needle” on the meter would be redrawn...
What’s the FCC got to do with newspapers? Lately, a Lot.
By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications | Most actions by the Federal Communications Commission affect television and radio broadcasters, not newspapers. But the FCC, under Chairman Ajit Pai, is working on two rule changes which could impact the newspaper industry, with the effect on individual...
Why do we have a Freedom of Information Act?
By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications | There have been a lot of developments the past several weeks in South Carolina regarding application of the state’s Freedom of Information Act.
Another president who took on ‘fake news’
By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications | President Trump has made it clear that he doesn’t like the media by making threats and insulting both media outlets and individual journalists, ruminating about reforming libel law, and complaining about media coverage of himself and his administration.
Charlottesville, the First Amendment and the Press
By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications | Most reactions to the march by white supremacists in Charlottesville, Va., last month condemned the marchers, their message and their use of swastikas, chants and Nazi imagery. But there were also questions of why they were allowed to...