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There’s still time to attend the Media Law Conference

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The Florida Bar’s 2011 Media Law Conference is set for April 15, from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. at the Stetson University College of Law Tampa Law Center.

Sponsored by the Media and Communications Law Committee of The Florida Bar and Stetson University College of Law, the conference will take an in-depth look at:

  • Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP): Litigation in Florida and around the nation.
  • First Amendment/defamation issues relating to anonymous bloggers and website commenters.
  • Free speech and violent video games.
  • Internet activism, hacking and publication of leaked and/or confidential documents (a la WikiLeaks).
  • Reporting on high-profile cases.
  • Reporter ethics and more.

Presenters and panelists include journalists, judges, attorneys, and academics in the field. Among the program participants are Kendall Coffey, Miami attorney and legal analyst; Peter Kurdock, legislative director for the Public Participation Project; and Penelope Canan, professor of sociology at the University of Central Florida and co-author of “SLAPPs: Getting Sued for Speaking Out.”

“The past year has been very exciting for journalists and media law practitioners, with First Amendment issues such as the free speech rights of funeral protestors and violent video games before the Supreme Court; as well as WikiLeaks’ release of classified information, and the government’s attempts to punish WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange constantly in the news,” said conference Chair Catherine A. Van Horn. “This year’s Media Law Conference will not only reflect the broad range of current media law issues, but also will offer insight for journalists and attorneys involved in high-profile cases.”

Van Horn said the conference will be beneficial to anyone interested in the media and media law issues.

The registration fee, which also covers lunch, is $100 for lawyers and $40 for judges, nonlawyer media, nonlawyer faculty, and public relations practitioners. The student rate is $20.

Application has been made to The Florida Bar for five hours of general CLE credit.

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