I personally enjoyed taking Legal Aspects of Media and I feel as though I have gained knowledge that I can utilize as a media and communications professional. My favorite assignment in the course was the Week 2 Research Case Study on defamation. The research case study assignment was the most extensive and time consuming, which encouraged me to put in more effort and attention to detail, to complete the project. The case study introduced me to two important US Supreme Court cases, Sullivan and Gertz, which redefined defamation and the First/Fourteenth Amendment freedom of speech and press. The assignment also encouraged me to utilize Keynote for the first time in recording a narrated slide presentation.
Of the topics covered this month in Legal Aspects of Media, the topics that will be helpful to my career in communications are: copyright, defamation, and commercial speech. My take away from these topics is to maintain a reputable presence in the field by remaining accurate, attributing resources, and not misleading the public. The knowledge that I acquired has prepared me to handle legal issues similar to the topics listed above because it has encouraged me to be responsible while working in the field, in order to avoid liability claims. My personal aspiration is to be able to create all original content for my personal blog and web-series.
Overall, Legal Aspects of Media met my expectations as the coursework was organized and very informative. The assignments were challenging; however, there were helpful resources provided. Before taking this course, I had little to any knowledge of Law so, it was interesting to learn something new and be able to apply it to a field of interest. Legal terms and cases also became easier to read and understand as well. The class worked closely together which was also beneficial to the learning experience.
