1. Finding a Mass Media Paper Topic University of Michigan Law Library Seth Quidachay-Swan Faculty Services & Reference Librarian September 20, 2011

2. Road Map 2 UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN LAW LIBRARY 1.Basics 2.Where to Get Ideas 3.Sources for Further Information

3. Basics Your Paper Topic Should Be: – Something that Interests You – Narrow Topic – Research-able – Current UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN LAW LIBRARY 3

4. Possible Topics What should the subject be? – First Amendment (Obscenity, Hate Speech, etc.) – Privacy Rights – FCC Regulation – Governance of the Internet – Journalistic Privilege – Libel & Defamation – Intellectual Property Rights UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN LAW LIBRARY 4

5. Where to Start Think while you read and watch television – TV News – Magazines – The Week, Wired, New Yorker – Newspapers – New York Times, Wall Street Journal – Online – Slate, Media Law Prof. Blog (etc.), News BriefsMedia Law Prof. Blog UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN LAW LIBRARY 5

6. Some Websites For Possible Topics http://bailiwick.lib.uiowa.edu/journalism/mediaLaw/1st_amendment_txt.html (List of First Amendment and Freedom of Expression Resources) http://bailiwick.lib.uiowa.edu/journalism/mediaLaw/1st_amendment_txt.html http://tully.syr.edu/resources.cfm (List of academic centers on Media Law in New York and Nationwide) http://tully.syr.edu/resources.cfm http://www.virtualchase.com/topics/first_amendment.shtml (A list of websites related to 1 st Amendment Law) http://www.virtualchase.com/topics/first_amendment.shtml http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/firstamendment/firstamendmen thome.htm (Exploring First Amendment Law) http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/firstamendment/firstamendmen thome.htm http://www.privsecblog.com/promo/about/ (Privacy and Security Law Blog) http://www.privsecblog.com/promo/about/ http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/firstamendment/ (First Amendment Law Professor Blog) http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/firstamendment/ http://avalon.law.yale.edu/subject_menus/constpap.asp (Avalon Project Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy) http://avalon.law.yale.edu/subject_menus/constpap.asp http://www.abajournal.com/blawgs/topic/media+communications+law/ ( ABA List of Popular Media & Communications Law Blogs) http://www.abajournal.com/blawgs/topic/media+communications+law/ http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/media_law_prof_blog/ (Media Law Professors Blog ) http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/media_law_prof_blog/ UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN LAW LIBRARY 6

7. Non-Profits Organizations Devoted to 1 st Amendment & Media Law ACLU Free Speech: http://www.aclu.org/free-speechhttp://www.aclu.org/free-speech Berkman Center for Internet & Society: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/ Center for Democracy and Technology : http://www.cdt.org/http://www.cdt.org/ Citizens Internet Empowerment Coalition : http://www.ciec.org/http://www.ciec.org/ Citizens Media Law Project: http://www.citmedialaw.org/http://www.citmedialaw.org/ Electronic Privacy Information Center : http://epic.org/http://epic.org/ First Amendment Center : http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/ Free Expression Policy Project : http://www.fepproject.org/http://www.fepproject.org/ Free Speech Movement Digital : http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/FSM/http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/FSM/ Citizen Media Law Project: http://www.citmedialaw.org/databasehttp://www.citmedialaw.org/database Electronic Frontier Foundation : http://www.eff.org/http://www.eff.org/ Reporters Committee for the Freedom of Press : http://www.rcfp.org/http://www.rcfp.org/ James Madison Center for Free Speech: http://www.jamesmadisoncenter.org/http://www.jamesmadisoncenter.org/ People for the American Way: http://site.pfaw.org/site/PageServer?pagename=homepagenewhttp://site.pfaw.org/site/PageServer?pagename=homepagenew Media Institute/National Freedom of Speech Week http://www.mediainstitute.org/NFSW/2007/index.htmlhttp://www.mediainstitute.org/NFSW/2007/index.html Media Law Resource Center: http://www.medialaw.org/http://www.medialaw.org/ Thomas Jefferson Center: http://www.tjcenter.org/http://www.tjcenter.org/ Society of Professional Journalists: http://www.spj.org/firstamendment.asphttp://www.spj.org/firstamendment.asp Student Press Law Center: http://www.splc.org/http://www.splc.org/ To find more associations on media law and first amendment, search Associations Unlimited (http://mirlyn.lib.umich.edu/Record/003304973) by keyword or subjecthttp://mirlyn.lib.umich.edu/Record/003304973 UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN LAW LIBRARY 7

8. Other Sources of Information eBrary – recent monographs and e-books eBrary Proquest Research Library – full-text law, non- law and popular press journals and magazines Proquest Research Library Access World News – full-text of 800+ worldwide English language newspapers Access World News Lexis & Westlaw news databases University Library Resources: full-text e-books and journals individually listed in Mirlyn or as databases in Search Tools.MirlynSearch Tools UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN LAW LIBRARY 8

9. Now I have a Topic Start with Secondary Sources – Treatises Book lists – Major Treatises in Various Subject Areas Book lists – Civil Rights & Liberties (includes Free Speech), Privacy, Computers & the Internet, Entertainment Law, Libel & Slander Use Keyword or Subject Searches in Mlaw CatalogMlaw – Some Possible Subjects: » Book industries and trade law and legislation; Confidential communications Press; Journal Legal status, laws, etc; Obscenity (law); Privacy, Right of; Advertising, Newspaper Law and legislation; Electronic Publishing Law and Legislation – Law Reviews and Journals Lexis & Westlaw Journals Database Index to Legal Periodicals & Index to Legal Periodicals Retro Index to Legal Periodicals Index to Legal Periodicals Retro UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN LAW LIBRARY 9

10. Research Sources 3 Campus Systems – Law Library – Mlaw CatalogMlaw Catalog – University Library – MirlynMirlyn – Kresge Business Administration LibraryKresge Business Administration Library Many of the Kresge’s Library Resources must be accessed on-site. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN LAW LIBRARY 10

11. Where to Find More E-Resources Three E-Resource Lists on Campus – Law Library Electronic Resources Law Library Electronic Resources – University Library Search ToolsSearch Tools – Kresge Business Library Electronic Resources Kresge Business Library Electronic Resources Many Kresge resources must be used on-site UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN LAW LIBRARY 11

12. Further Assistance Ask a Law Librarian – Visit the Reference Desk (Sub-1 of the Law Library) – Call: 734-9324 – Email: askalawlibrarian@umich.eduaskalawlibrarian@umich.edu – Chat – Research Consultations UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN LAW LIBRARY 12