Ithaca College

Contamination of residential settings, military service, toxic tort and precedent setting laws are a central focus of a podcast series produced by journalism students in the Roy H Park School of Communications at Ithaca College.

The students are currently enrolled in a journalism law course taught by Ann-Marie Adams in the Department of Journalism during the Spring 2019 term.

“Laws impact the way journalists are able to do their jobs and what information they are able to report to their publics,” says Adams. “In this course, we review the principles underlying journalism law and relevant court cases with an emphasis on jurisdiction and precedents.”

This course offered in the Department of Journalism at Ithaca College examines the American legal and policy making systems so that students can gain an understanding of how laws, particularly the First Amendment, address a range of issues involving freedom of speech and press, including: courts of law, defamation, libel, prior restraint, shield laws, open access, privacy, and the public’s right to know.

The real-world case study assigned during the course involves investigative work and requests for information (FOI) to frame a podcast series produced by the students relating to the Laurel Bay Military Housing Public Health Review. The students will present this series as an ethical and case law analysis focused on identifying the particular issues of the case, the evidence or facts that pertain to the case, and the extrinsic factors that inform the case as well as to reflect on their experiences in framing a legal story with a journalistic lens. The Ithaca College students involved in the podcast series include: Devon Beyoda, Orian Fitlovich, Reesa Hylton, Meaghan McElroy, Sobeida Rosa and John Wikiera.

The students will host a podcast launch briefing on Thursday, May 2, 2019 8:15 a.m. to reflect on their experience in interpreting the laws associated with the Laurel Bay Military Housing case. This event is free and open to the public and will transpire in Room 279 of the Park School at Ithaca College.

For more information about the briefing or to learn more about the course offering contact Ann-Marie Adams, instructor via email at aadams4@ithaca.

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Ann Marie Adams at aadams4@ithaca.edu. We ask that requests for accommodations be made as soon as possible.