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Chapter 8. The Impact of Mass Communications

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Links to Professional Resources

  • Supreme Court and Appellate Practice Group, “The Supreme Court Clamps Down on Media Ride-Alongs” (www.appellate.net/articles/mediaridealongs.asp): This article by John M. Touhy and Jeffrey W. Sarles outlines the development of the law as it pertains to media ride-alongs with government officials, usually law enforcement officers.
  • Forensic-Evidence.com, Police Procedures, “Media ‘Ride-Alongs’ Lead to Civil Rights Suits” (www.forensic-evidence.com/site/Police/Pol_mediarid.html): This article details the circumstances that led to Wilson v. Layne and analyzes the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in the case.
  • First Amendment Center, “Latest Food Lion Ruling Isn't Clear-cut Win for Free Press” (www.firstamendmentcenter.org/latest-food-lion-ruling-...-press): This piece is a commentary by attorney Douglas Lee that first appeared immediately after a federal appeals court reversed a jury verdict against ABC in the Food Lion case.
  • Department of Justice, Freedom of Information Act (www.usdoj.gov/oip/foia_updates/Vol_XVII_4/page2.htm): This U.S. Justice Department site provides the full text of the Freedom of Information Act.
  • National Freedom of Information Coalition, State FOI Laws (www.nfoic.org/foi-center): The National Freedom of Information Coalition provides links to the freedom of information laws in every state and the District of Columbia.
  • National Institutes for Health, Freedom of Information Act Office (www.nih.gov/icd/od/foia/): This website is an example of how a federal agency, the National Institutes of Health, accommodates the Freedom of Information Act and those who wish to file FOIA requests. The Institute’s method for handling FOIA requests, and its site, are detailed. The site includes guidance in how to file a request.
  • Federal Bureau of Investigation, Freedom of Information Act Office (http://foia.fbi.gov/): This website is an example of how a federal agency, the FBI, accommodates the Freedom of Information Act and those who wish to file FOIA requests. As the site proclaims, it provides one-stop shopping to request information that may be found in the FBI’s Central Records System.
  • Department of Justice, Freedom of Information Act (www.justice.gov/oip/index.html): This website is an example of how a federal agency, the U.S. Justice Department, accommodates the Freedom of Information Act and those who wish to file FOIA requests. It opens by cautioning the reader that agencies may withhold records pursuant to nine exceptions.