ABSTRACT
On December 13, 1906, the Board of Curators of the University of Missouri voted the first School of Journalism into existence. Along with courses in news writing and layout, a course in newspaper jurisprudence was one of the first required courses added to the curriculum. This course dealt primarily with libel law and federal mail regulations (Norton, 1999). Since that time, the field of journalism and mass communication has expanded exponentially, and the legal and regulatory knowledge needed to survive in a career in communication has grown along with it. For example, in 1906, the United States Supreme Court had ruled on only a handful of cases involving media-related issues. Today, the Supreme Court has ruled on almost 400 cases involving speech, press, and media ownership. To fully understand the complexities of media law and policy today, students need to acquire knowledge regarding more than 20 distinct legal issues (see Table 4.1) and at least 10 distinct skills that accompany this knowledge (see Table 4.2).
