Before I read about law and media this week in my class, I did not know just how much law truly does affect the media. It is very interesting just how much I did not know about this topic and how my view has changed just by becoming a little more educated. I believe that the law gives the government and companies too much power. This article about why the government should not be able to regulate social media content is an excellent read. We have rights that should be protected and I expland on certain concerns that I have below.
Copyright
We all know that copyright is not allowed. However, people are allowed to post someone else’s work in limited ways. Meaning if you do use someone else’s work make sure that you are not using the whole thing and you need to give them credit. The concern that I have with copyright is: companies are allowed to make claims of copyright infringment against other companies. If the company refuses to take it down, they could be sued. That gives way to much power to bigger companies that could bully smaller companies into taking something down because of the fear of being sued.
Privacy
This is one of the most concerning things when it comes to the media and law. We have all seen the meme on social media about the FBI agent watching you through your laptop or cell phone camera. It is actually terrifing that the government allows this to happen. They have taken away a sense of privacy from the citizen’s of this country. Now, everyone does realize that by having social media it does mean you are putting some personal information out there. However, the fact the government and the companies that provide the technology have the tools to watch our every move is not okay.
Censorship
Many governments spend a countless amount of time blocking or suppressing anything they deemed dangerous, politically unacceptable or a threat to national security. While in some instances this might be appropriate, this should not be done on an every day basis. We as citizens have a right to share and create what we want due to the freedom of speech. The government having the power to block or remove something takes that away.
Defamation
This is a concern for me mainly because I want to become a journalist some day. If you follow the journalism standard you learn in school will reduce the risk of being sued for defamation. However, the concern is even if you might be completely correct and did not libel anyone, you can still be sued. If that happens, it is very expensive to defent yourself. Which is the scary.
Photography
If you are in a public place there is no law that states you are not allowed to photograph. However, there are instances where people are getting harrassed for trying to take photographs or videos by mostly private or public law enforcement, workers and security guards. This is taking away the rights of citizens who are not in the wrong.
I do plan on modifying the way I use media. I have changed all my social media settings to the more private side thanks to this article with 7 tips to help make your social media more private. There is so much information that can be accessed by social media. When it comes to censorship, I am going to throughly start checking that what I post or repost does not put me in danger legally. I don’t need to change anything for defamation because when I do write stories, I make sure what I am reporting on is accurate and fair. Law and media is a very sticky subject, I will keep learning about it to form more ways I can protect myself from them.
